The death of the young Conservative activist Elliott Johnson and the allegations of bullying within the party are the subject of several interlocking investigations, and it is possible more could follow.
At an official level, the inquest into the death of the 21-year-old, who was found dead on railway tracks at Sandy station in Bedfordshire on 15 September, is scheduled to take place early next year.
An initial hearing in September was told that British Transport police were investigating claims Johnson was being bullied by Conservative members and campaigners, and were interviewing people connected to the case. The force said it would pass its findings to the coroner and decide following its investigation whether there was a need for any “further action” – or criminal charges.
A full inquest will not take place until police have ruled out any prosecutions, or if any emerge, until after a subsequent trial. An ongoing internal Conservative party inquiry will almost certainly not reveal its findings until the inquest is over, to avoid potentially prejudicing its deliberations.
There is also an internal party investigation which Johnson’s father Ray has criticised, claiming it is not independent. It began in August when details of the alleged bullying first emerged and led earlier this month to the expulsion from the party of Mark Clarke, the former Tory parliamentary candidate alleged to have been involved in the harassment of Johnson. Clarke denies any wrongdoing.
It was set up by the Conservative chairman, Andrew Feldman, a close friend and political ally of David Cameron. On Sunday the Conservatives said Feldman would not be overseeing the inquiry as pressure over his position intensified amid criticism more should have been done by senior party officials to act on the bullying claims.
He will instead be one of about 40 witnesses who will give evidence. Feldman had previously appointed Edward Legard to carry out the inquiry. Legard is an Old Etonian contemporary of Cameron and a former party candidate.
While this inquiry is internal, the Tories have brought in a senior lawyer, Simon Davis, from the city law firm Clifford Chance, to oversee its findings and report to the party board, which will then decide what action to take. According to the party, the law firm’s terms of reference are to review the interviews and information gathering, as well as other evidence collected, to identify individuals potentially at fault and whether disciplinary action should be considered by the party board.
The evidence gathering is not expected to be completed before the end of the year, with Clifford Chance’s recommendations following soon afterwards. Having declined before to say if it would make any of the report public, the party has now said it will publish the main findings and recommendations.
Speaking in Malta on Saturday, Cameron said this process would ensure the inquiry “reaches clear conclusions from the evidence that comes through”. But Ray Johnson said he wrote to Lord Feldman to say he believes the inquiry amounts to “another cover-up”. “I can’t see how their inquiry will have any veracity at all,” he said.
Paul Goodman, the former Tory MP who edits the Conservative Home website, wrote a post on Sunday arguing that, given the events, “it is plain that the party can no longer be allowed to mark its own homework”. He has called for the party’s board to set up a fully independent investigation immediately.
Goodman also argued that the Conservative party should review its wider arrangements for making sure young activists are properly cared for.
• This article was amended on 1 December 2015 to update references to Edward Legard.
