A Conservative pressure group has argued against a bid by the parents of a young Tory activist to widen the scope of an inquest into his death.
At a pre-inquest hearing, a lawyer for Conservative Way Forward warned that a broader inquest into Elliott Johnson's death would have to look into his "mental health and his sexuality".
Johnson, 21, was found dead on railway tracks in Bedfordshire in September. He left a suicide note claiming that he had been bullied by former activist Mark Clarke and betrayed by journalist Andre Walker.
On Wednesday, Johnson's parents, Alison and Ray, attended a hearing at Ampthill Coroners Court to argue that the full inquest into his death should be widened to explore the culture of the Conservative party.
Heather Williams, who represented them, said that under the Human Rights Act public authorities were obliged to investigate when there were allegations of "inhuman or degrading treatment", the Press Association reported.
She said: "It's a situation where if these allegations of bullying and intimidation were made good in evidence at an inquest, it could well be a situation where the coroner's obligation to investigate is activated.
"The family believe his death was directly linked to a series of events that occurred in the last few weeks of his life and particularly bullying he experience by Mark Clarke and those associated with him."
But George Alliott, representing Conservative Way Forward, said that only selected parts of the suicide note had so far been made public. Quoting from a British Transport Police report, he said the note also referred to a "failure to give his parents children" – a reference to Johnson's homosexuality.
"If the scope were to be widened, it is going to have to include reference to Elliott's mental health and his sexuality," Alliott added.
Coroner Tom Osborne will deliver his decision on the scope of the inquest later this week.
Johnson had complained about bullying a month before his death. That eventually sparked an investigation and the resignation of former party chairman Grant Shapps.
Clarke, who has been expelled from the Conservative party, denies the allegations against him.