Nine Conservative activists who are central to the party's bullying scandal have declared they will not give evidence to the inquiry investigating their claims. They told BBC Newsnight they have lost faith in the process, which was established after the death of activist Elliott Johnson.
The inquiry, conducted by law firm Clifford Chance, was launched in November following Mr Johnson's death. The 21-year-old had complained of being bullied by Mark Clarke, a campaign director. Mr Clarke denies the allegations, but the party has revoked his membership. The scandal has already led to the resignation of former Tory chairman Grant Shapps.
Potential witnesses cited a lack of independence and fears of reprisals. A letter from Clifford Chance offered no firm guarantee of anonymity, stating: 'We will try to protect the identity of witnesses... but we cannot guarantee this will be possible.' One woman said she feared Clarke and his associates would 'come after me and try to use force and intimidation.'
Josh Hitchens, President of Conservative Future at the London School of Economics, also refused to testify, saying: 'We don't believe that it is an independent inquiry.' Clifford Chance insisted it takes confidentiality seriously and will not use information without consent. A Conservative spokesman said it was 'not appropriate to comment' while the probe is ongoing.
