Police are investigating allegations that a young Conservative activist was being bullied by party members shortly before he was believed to have taken his own life.
The Guardian newspaper reports that Elliot Johnson, 21, named party members and campaigners in a note before he was found dead on railway tracks near a station in Bedfordshire on 15 September.
A coroners’ inquest reported by the newspaper heard that are “certain allegations with regard to the possibility of bullying before Mr Johnson died”.
Mr Johnson’s father Ray Johnson told The Guardian: “We want to find out who did these things and what happened to Elliott.
“We want to know how long the Conservative party had concerns and why nothing was done to keep young people safe. If this is happening to young activists we don’t want anyone else to suffer in this way.”
Mr Johnson, a graduate of the University of Nottingham, worked for campaign group Conservative Way Forward and was a member of the Tories’ youth organisation Conservative Future.
A spokesperson for the Conservative party said: “Everyone in the Conservative party is deeply saddened at the death of Elliott Johnson. The circumstances surrounding his death are in the hands of the coroner and it is not appropriate to comment on those at this time.”
British Transport Police confirmed they were investigating the allegations with the assistance of Bedfordshire Police
