Tory activist in 'contract killing broker' claim had worked for party HQ

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called "shocking allegations" against a Tory activist secretly filmed appearing to offer to "broker" the hiring of contract killers, as the party suspended his membership pending an investigation.

The activist is Jack Ross, a senior figure at Turning Point UK, who was contracted to do social media work for the Conservative Party until earlier this year, the BBC has reported. His contract with party headquarters ended before the undercover footage was recorded this week.

The claims come from undercover filming carried out by Al Jazeera. The BBC reports that the footage appears to show Ross offering to act as a middleman to arrange contract killings.

Badenoch described the allegations as "shocking", according to the BBC, and the party moved swiftly to suspend Ross's membership while an investigation is carried out.

Ross has denied the findings "completely", the report said.

The claims remain untested: the allegations rest on Al Jazeera's undercover reporting as carried by the BBC, and TrendWire has not independently viewed or verified the footage. No court proceedings have been reported.

TrendWire is treating the claims as allegations. Statements attributed here to Badenoch and to Ross are reported as attributed statements, not as established facts.