An Al Jazeera investigation into an alleged paid killing offer involving a fictional target has led Britain's Conservative Party to suspend Turning Point UK chief executive Jack Ross's membership.
The Guardian reported the party's action, quoting a spokesperson who said the suspension took effect immediately pending an investigation. The statement did not say when the investigation would conclude.
Al Jazeera said Ross introduced its undercover journalist to Allan Nesbitt after the journalist joined Turning Point UK in 2021. When the journalist described a dispute with an invented business rival, Nesbitt discussed arranging a killing for payment, the broadcaster reported. There was no real target.
Ross denied Al Jazeera's findings and said his comments to the journalist were not meant seriously. Al Jazeera also reported that Nesbitt claimed links to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF); his membership in the group is unverified. The UK government lists the UVF as a proscribed organization linked to Northern Ireland-related terrorism.
Ross has previously run for the Conservatives. East Hampshire District Council's 2023 election results list him as Jack Hamilton Foster Ross in the Horndean Murray contest, where he received 304 votes. Winner Elaine Woodard received 340.
Police Scotland said it would assess the documentary for possible criminal activity, The Guardian reported. No date has been announced for that assessment or the party's decision.
