Elliott Johnson, 21, is believed to have taken his own life after alleged bullying

The “Tatler Tory” at the centre of a bullying scandal threatened to “squash like an ant” an activist who committed suicide weeks later, an inquest was told.

Mark Clarke, 39, who ran the Road Trip election campaign for the Conservatives last year, is alleged to have bullied Elliott Johnson, 21, and other young members of the party.

Mark Clarke, pictured, has denied bullying PA

An inquiry into the allegations for Conservative Campaign Headquarters (CCHQ), led by the law firm Clifford Chance, is continuing.

Mr Johnson was working for the campaign group Conservative Way Forward (CWF) as their political editor until he was served a redundancy notice in late August last year. He was found on a railway track at Sandy in Bedfordshire on September 15, having been hit by a train.

Detective