UK Conservative Figure Suspended Over Undercover Hitmen Investigation

A major political scandal has erupted in the United Kingdom following an undercover investigation by Al Jazeera, which captured Jack Ross—a former Conservative Party candidate and head of the right-wing organisation Turning Point UK—discussing the potential hiring of contract killers with an undercover reporter. Ross allegedly offered to broker a deal between the reporter and a criminal linked to a paramilitary terrorist organisation. Following the broadcast, his Conservative Party membership was suspended, and Police Scotland announced it would review the footage to determine if criminal offenses were committed. The Guardian revealed that Ross, who ran unsuccessfully in the 2023 local elections in East Hampshire, worked as a social media consultant in the office of Conservative leader and opposition chief Kemi Badenoch. According to reports, Ross was hired as an external consultant in 2025, and the BBC reported he provided advisory services to the party until early this year.

The investigation, titled "Hitmen and the Far Right," began in 2021 when an undercover Al Jazeera journalist infiltrated Turning Point UK, the independent British branch of the American conservative movement founded by activist Charlie Kirk, who was shot dead last year during a university event in Utah. During his tenure, the reporter grew close to Ross, who became the organisation's CEO that year, recording conversations where the two discussed ties with violent actors and the possibility of hiring their services for money. In one meeting, the undercover reporter presented a fabricated story about a family dispute, claiming a business belonging to his late uncle was at risk of a takeover by a criminal gang. Ross, unaware the conversation was recorded, asked, "What do you want done?" and proceeded to detail various acts of violence that could be ordered for payment. "They can just beat someone to a pulp. That's a certain amount," Ross said on tape. "They can start cutting people's faces, that's another amount. They can stab someone, they can shoot someone, they can kill someone." In another meeting, Ross explained he could act as a mediator between the reporter and those executing the task, while making clear he wished to distance himself from any potential fallout.

At the center of the investigation is Alan Nesbit, a convicted criminal from Glasgow, Scotland, whom Ross introduced to the reporter. According to Al Jazeera, Nesbit has previous convictions for violent offenses, including two knife assaults and drug crimes, and is linked to the Ulster Volunteer Force (UVF), a pro-British paramilitary group from Northern Ireland proscribed as a terrorist organisation in the UK. When the investigative team arranged a meeting with Nesbit at a London hotel, Nesbit readily offered his services, suggesting he could stage a fatal accident for the business rival and boasting of past murders using knives and firearms. In addition to discussions on violence, the investigation revealed Ross and Nesbit's connections to controversial political activities, including a paid staged demonstration in Britain to support the removal of British sanctions on Zimbabwe on behalf of the Zimbabwean government.

The controversy intensified with revelations regarding Ross's work for the Conservative Party. Sources close to Badenoch confirmed to The Guardian that Ross was employed as a junior external social media consultant in her office in 2025, raising eyebrows among some MPs who tolerated his presence due to his social media reach. Following the exposé, the Conservative Party announced the immediate suspension of Ross's membership pending an investigation. Badenoch termed the allegations "shocking," while Ross completely rejected the findings, claiming his remarks to the undercover reporter were not meant to be taken seriously.