A former Conservative Party candidate has been suspended after an undercover investigation appeared to capture him discussing the cost of arranging violent attacks, including murder.
Jack Ross, chief executive of right-wing activist group Turning Point UK (TPUK), was suspended from the Tory party with immediate effect on Wednesday following the broadcast of an investigation by Al Jazeera.
The documentary, Contract Killers and the Far Right, features secretly recorded footage of Ross discussing violent acts that could allegedly be arranged through a contact with links to loyalist paramilitaries.
In one conversation, Ross appears to outline different options available for money, including beatings, facial mutilation, stabbings and shootings.
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He also appears to offer to act as an intermediary between an undercover journalist and Allan Nesbitt, a man from Glasgow alleged to have links to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF).
The reporter had presented Ross with a fictitious scenario involving a deceased uncle’s business which was at risk of being taken over by a gang, whose members were supposedly warned they would “get f**ked” if anything happened.
Ross replied to this: “Yeah, you have to deliver on that as well. You’ve got to explain to me what’s needed … I can then go and broker from there. But I’ve got to say, even to myself … if there’s lashback [sic] I’ve got to keep my name out of it.”
The investigation also alleged that Ross paid Nesbitt thousands of pounds to organise a fake political rally calling for the UK to lift sanctions against Zimbabwe, apparently acting on behalf of the Zimbabwean government.
Ross reportedly said some Zimbabweans had asked him to arrange violence, including finding someone to carry out a shooting.
He has denied Al Jazeera’s findings, telling the broadcaster that his comments to the undercover reporter were not meant seriously.
A Conservative Party spokesperson said: “Mr Ross’s membership of the Conservative party has been suspended with immediate effect pending an investigation. We cannot comment further while the investigation is ongoing.”
Police Scotland confirmed it was aware of the documentary and would review it to assess whether any criminality had taken place.
Ross is a prominent figure in TPUK, an offshoot of the US conservative activist organisation Turning Point USA, founded by the late Republican commentator Charlie Kirk.
The group has become increasingly involved in anti-migrant demonstrations in Britain and has links to figures in Conservative and Reform UK politics.
Ross previously stood as a Conservative candidate in the 2023 local elections in Hampshire.
You can watch Al Jazeera’s full investigation here.