Conservatives suspend former candidate Jack Ross — The Guardian

In the United Kingdom, the Conservative Party has immediately suspended the membership of Jack Ross, a former candidate in local elections. The decision was made after the release of an Al Jazeera documentary in which Ross was allegedly recorded discussing the cost of violent actions against people and the possibility of acting as an intermediary with a far-right activist who, according to the broadcaster, has links to paramilitary groups.

As The Guardian reports, a Conservative Party spokesperson said Ross’s membership had been suspended pending an internal investigation. The party will not comment on details while it is ongoing.

Al Jazeera’s hidden-camera footage

In the film “Contract Killers and the Far Right,” Ross was allegedly filmed while speaking to a journalist working undercover. According to Al Jazeera, Ross asked his interlocutor what exactly he wanted to do, and then listed possible violent actions, from beatings to murder.

The broadcaster also reported that Ross introduced the journalist to a man from Glasgow who, Al Jazeera claimed, had links to the paramilitary Ulster Volunteer Force. According to the broadcaster’s account, the man offered at a London hotel to arrange various methods of killing for money.

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Police review

Police Scotland said it was aware of the documentary and would consider and assess it for possible criminal offences.

Ross is the chief executive of Turning Point UK, an offshoot of an organisation founded by American Republican commentator Charlie Kirk. Al Jazeera reported that Ross completely rejected the findings of its investigation and said that his words to the undercover journalist were not serious.

The report also features Turning Point UK’s chief operating officer, Nick Tenconi, who leads the far-right UK Independence Party. He was allegedly filmed with Ross while discussing a plan to use football hooligans to provoke disorder.