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| Grant Shapps quits amid Tory bullying claims | Grant Shapps quits amid Tory bullying claims |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| Grant Shapps has quit as international development minister amid allegations of bullying in the Conservative Party, the BBC understands. | Grant Shapps has quit as international development minister amid allegations of bullying in the Conservative Party, the BBC understands. |
| Claims have engulfed the Tories following the apparent suicide in September of activist Elliott Johnson. | Claims have engulfed the Tories following the apparent suicide in September of activist Elliott Johnson. |
| Mr Johnson's father had called on Mr Shapps, a former party co-chairman, to resign over claims he ignored repeated warnings about the actions of party youth organiser Mark Clarke. | Mr Johnson's father had called on Mr Shapps, a former party co-chairman, to resign over claims he ignored repeated warnings about the actions of party youth organiser Mark Clarke. |
| Mr Clarke has denied any wrongdoing. | Mr Clarke has denied any wrongdoing. |
| The party has been subject to allegations of bullying, sexual assault and intimidation since Mr Johnson, 21, was found dead. | The party has been subject to allegations of bullying, sexual assault and intimidation since Mr Johnson, 21, was found dead. |
| Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a "tragic loss of a talented young life". | Prime Minister David Cameron said it was a "tragic loss of a talented young life". |
| Downing Street said the prime minister was awaiting the results of an internal investigation but Mr Johnson's father has called for an independent and external inquiry. | Downing Street said the prime minister was awaiting the results of an internal investigation but Mr Johnson's father has called for an independent and external inquiry. |
| 'Media firestorm' | 'Media firestorm' |
| Mr Clarke was in charge of a campaigning initiative which bussed young volunteers around the country. | Mr Clarke was in charge of a campaigning initiative which bussed young volunteers around the country. |
| Earlier this month, he was banned for life from the Conservative Party. | Earlier this month, he was banned for life from the Conservative Party. |
| He says he strongly rejects all allegations of bullying, harassment, assault or attempted blackmail. | He says he strongly rejects all allegations of bullying, harassment, assault or attempted blackmail. |
| "I believe that these false allegations and this media firestorm are related to the events surrounding Elliott's sad death," he said. | "I believe that these false allegations and this media firestorm are related to the events surrounding Elliott's sad death," he said. |
| "As such I will be co-operating with the coroner and providing him with the fullest information. This is the proper process. After the inquest I will look to take legal action for defamation in respect of these allegations." | "As such I will be co-operating with the coroner and providing him with the fullest information. This is the proper process. After the inquest I will look to take legal action for defamation in respect of these allegations." |
| 'No confidence' | 'No confidence' |
| The Conservative Party has said that it received no written complaints until this summer about Mr Clarke's behaviour. | The Conservative Party has said that it received no written complaints until this summer about Mr Clarke's behaviour. |
| However, former chairwoman Baroness Warsi says she wrote to Mr Shapps, her successor, in January asking for action to be taken against Mr Clarke. | However, former chairwoman Baroness Warsi says she wrote to Mr Shapps, her successor, in January asking for action to be taken against Mr Clarke. |
| Mr Johnson also says he had no confidence in current party chairman Lord Feldman, who is conducting the internal inquiry and called for him to stand down from his position amid claims he too did not respond to warnings about Mr Clarke. | Mr Johnson also says he had no confidence in current party chairman Lord Feldman, who is conducting the internal inquiry and called for him to stand down from his position amid claims he too did not respond to warnings about Mr Clarke. |
| According to the BBC's Newsnight programme, Welwyn Hatfield MP Mr Shapps maintains he did not receive any serious complaints about Mr Clarke while serving as party co-chair until May 2015. | |
| Reacting to Mr Shapps' resignation Ray Johnson told Newsnight reporter James Clayton: "I'm pleased he's taken the correct decision. It should have happened weeks ago. | |
| "There are still questions about what happened after May when Shapps left CCHQ [Conservative Campaign headquarters]. Many of the complaints came in in August." | |
| Labour says the row raises questions about how the Conservative Party conducts itself and said Lord Feldman has "serious questions to answer about when exactly he was made aware of concerns". | Labour says the row raises questions about how the Conservative Party conducts itself and said Lord Feldman has "serious questions to answer about when exactly he was made aware of concerns". |
| Shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth said: "Every day seems to bring new questions with suggestions that warnings of bullying were ignored by senior Conservatives. | Shadow minister Jonathan Ashworth said: "Every day seems to bring new questions with suggestions that warnings of bullying were ignored by senior Conservatives. |
| "We need a fully independent inquiry - not one led by a Tory insider - to look at culture and practices." | "We need a fully independent inquiry - not one led by a Tory insider - to look at culture and practices." |
| Grant Shapps profile | |
| Grant Shapps was appointed international development minister after the Conservative election victory in May. | |
| MP for Welwyn Hatfield since 2005, he was made housing minister in the coalition government in 2010 and two years later Conservative co-chairman and a cabinet office minister. | |
| Shapps, 47, has a very different background to other top Tories. | |
| Born in Watford, and schooled at the local grammar and Manchester Polytechnic, Shapps' father was a graphic designer. | |
| His brother Andre joined their cousin, the former Clash guitarist Mick Jones, in his band Big Audio Dynamite. | |
| He started a successful printing business in his 20s and in the 1997 election stood unsuccessfully against Liberal Democrat Simon Hughes. | |
| The revelation that Mr Shapps once had an alias - Michael Green - under which he wrote self-help guides for a website operated with his wife Belinda - has also attracted headlines. |