What is really going on in politics? Get our daily email briefing straight to your inbox Sign up Thank you for subscribing We have more newsletters Show me See our privacy notice Invalid Email

Hindering a police inquiry into the death of a young party worker is a disturbing pattern of behaviour emerging in the Conservatives.

The Tories’ claim to value law and order is risible when the party has failed to co-operate fully with the investigation into the suicide of Elliott Johnson and when suspicion is growing Theresa May called the snap election before a group of her MPs risk criminal charges over claims they fiddled expenses in the 2015 poll.

Conservative HQ’s failure to hand over a legal report into the death of hounded Johnson, who was just 21 years old, is utterly indefensible and leaves a grieving family in the dark.

(Image: Jason Bye /eyevine)

So we urge Tory chair Patrick McLoughlin to do the decent thing and help the police .

As for the potential criminal charges against Tory MPs and others, the desperation to avoid possible by-elections and the loss of her Parliamentary majority exposes May as another Conservative opportunist. She puts the interests of her party ahead of those of the country.