SHAPPS OUT: Tory minister quits after pressure over a Conservative party bullying scandal

Conservative minister Grant Shapps has just resigned from his government position according to the BBC, after coming under pressure to explain his role in a bullying scandal that has consumed the party's youth wing.

Shapps is now a minister of state in the Department for International Development, but until the time of the last election he was Chairman of the Conservative Party, responsible in large part for the running and conduct of the party's campaign.

38-year old Conservative activist Mark Clarke, who organised campaigning events involving Conservative Future, the party's youth wing, was named by 21-year-old Elliott Johnson in a suicide note in September.

Clarke organised "road trip" events in which campaigners were bussed to different target seats to campaign. Shapps was reportedly one of the four people who signed off on granting Clarke organisational powers to set up the events. Activists have

A Telegraph report this week suggested that Shapps was made aware of accusations that Clarke was bullying young people in 2014, but replied to another MP that there was "nothing there."

A letter also emerged from Baroness Sayeeda Warsi, the Co-Chairman of the Conservative party, complaining to Shapps about Clarke's behaviour.

Clarke has already been removed from the Conservative Party as part of the investigation into the bullying claims, and denies any wrongdoing.

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