A former aide to a Conservative MP has filed a complaint to his own party over serious allegations of a three-year bullying campaign conducted against him by a Westminster colleague who is compared to a psychopath and described as “a wicked person”.
Rape-shamer: Tory councillor Shaun Slator
The complaint has been made against Shaun Slator, a Conservative councillor in Bromley who in 2023 was described as a “scumbag rape apologist” following remarks he made on social media. Slator’s conduct was condemned as being “despicable” and “dangerous and stupid”.
The misogynistic episode drew national newspaper headlines and led to Slator being kicked out of the Conservative Party, although he was readmitted as a member around a year later.
Throughout his suspension from the Tory Party, Slator continued in his £35,000 per year “day job” as a publicly-funded parliamentary aide to Jackie Doyle-Price, who was the Conservative MP for Thurrock.
It has since emerged that while he was employed by Doyle-Price, Slator also sent “unpleasant communications” to Abena Oppong-Asare, the Labour MP for Erith and Thamesmead.
Last July, along with around a thousand other parliamentary aides, Slator was made redundant as a consequence of Labour’s 2024 General Election win, as Doyle-Price lost her parliamentary seat.
Slator employer: Jackie Doyle-Price did not sack her office manager for his rape-shaming tweet
Since then, Slator is thought to have been largely dependent on the £16,129 per year he receives in Council tax-payer-funded councillor allowances from Bromley. He does have some additional income as a private landlord, with properties in London and Blackpool.
Slator is a former IT salesman who since 2018 has had jobs with the Conservative Party or working for a Tory MP at the Houses of Parliament.
Matthew Vaughan was already working for Doyle-Price in 2021 when Slator joined her staff. It is Vaughan who submitted a formal complaint about Slator to Conservative Central Office two months ago.
“I can confidently say that by a country mile that he is the most toxic, hate-filled and unpleasant person I have ever come across,” Vaughan wrote to Tory bosses.
“I have endured a number of stressful workplaces and have come across all types of people in life, but I was totally taken aback by how nasty and downright cruel he is. He is dismissive of everyone.”
In his complaint about Slator, Vaughan wrote that after 18 months working alongside Slator, “it became apparent to me that my position and standing in the MP’s office was being constantly undermined… behind my back. I became aware that he was being critical of my performance and general conduct to the [MP].
Mirror cracked it: how the newspaper broke the Slator story
“He was seeking to diminish me in order to bolster his own standing.”
In May 2022, Doyle-Price promoted Slator to become her office manager.
Then, early in 2023, Slator posted his now notorious misogynistic tweet, when he tried to suggest that a rape victim was “likely” to be a prostitute.
Responding to a news report headlined, “Woman raped in Plumstead park in early hours”, Slator wrote, “More likely that it’s a punter that didn’t pay.”
It led to Slator being chastised by MP Jess Phillips, then Labour’s shadow spokesperson on domestic violence.
Slator “should educate himself”, Phillips said.
“To stigmatise and blame any victim is despicable and it’s the reason why so few rapists ever face justice.
“These attitudes have no place in society and even less so in a representative. The Conservatives shouldn’t allow it in their ranks.”
After a year spent on Bromley Council’s back benches as an independent councillor, while continuing to work for Doyle-Price in Parliament, Slator was re-admitted to Tory membership as if nothing had ever happened.
Last year Slator, a councillor for St Mary Cray ward, played an active role in running the election campaign of Bromley and Biggin Hill MP Peter Fortune. Although such is the councillor’s toxicity, Fortune was careful to erase all mention of Slator as his political agent from his social media profiles.
That has not stopped Slator being made chairman of his local Conservative association. Bromley’s Tory council leader, Colin Smith, also bumped up Slator’s allowances by a couple of thousand quid (it’s other people’s money, after all) by giving him the non-job of vice-chairman of the executive, resources and contracts committee.
In his detailed report to CCHQ about Slator, Vaughan complained: “Slator is callous and indifferent to the feelings of others.
Breaking silence: according to the Erith MP Abena Oppong-Asare, she has received ‘unpleasant communications’ from Slator
“He has a general lack of empathy. I would have to take charge of correspondence or casework from constituents which was of a sensitive or personal nature, because I knew he lacked the basic personal skills of being able to exercise some compassion and tactfulness.”
Vaughan’s complaint offers a parliamentary insider’s view to Slator’s behaviour after he got caught out in 2023.
“I had heard him more than once use the ‘C’ word to describe women,” Vaughan recalls.
“The [MP, Doyle-Price] had to issue a statement to the Daily Mirror distancing herself from him and saying how disappointed she was with his tweets.
“But he continued to work for her.”
And Vaughan added: “On a couple of occasions I had to take calls from journalists asking to speak to him, because he was too scared to answer the phone until the story blew over.”
South London MPs joined a chorus of disapproval on social media.
Ellie Reeves, now the Solicitor General, described Slator’s views as “absolutely abhorrent”.
And Oppong-Asare said, “I have been on the receiving end of unpleasant communications from him. There is no place in public life for people like Shaun Slator.”
Vaughan accuses Slator of deliberately undermining him at work and trying to get him sacked. “This behaviour amounted to a vicious campaign of bullying.”
And he adds: “If 1% of the population, as we are led to believe, are psychopaths, then Slator must surely fit into this category… I really do consider him to be a wicked person.”
Vaughan says it was a mistake to re-admit Slator to the party, and that he is unfit to work in Parliament, or to be a Tory council candidate in next year’s local elections. “I fear he will bully others,” Vaughan reported to Conservative Party chiefs.
The Conservative Party and Slator were both approached for comment. Neither responded before publication.
Matthew Vaughan says he has not received as much as an acknowledgement of his complaint from officials at Kemi Badenoch’s party.
Read more: ‘Rape shaming’ councillor Slator welcomed back by Tories
Read more: The Nasty Party gives rape-shaming Slator a job in Bromley
Read more: ‘Despicable’ Tory councillor under fire for rape-shaming victim
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Is Councillor Shaun Slator by any chance related to the Shaun Slator, born August 1984, who is a Director of Slator Management Limited (in the business of Other letting and operating of own or leased real estate), Shed Politics Limited (Other publishing activities) and Orpington Homes Limited (Buying and selling of own real estate)?
Because if he is one and the same, he needs to explain to Bromley Council why he hasn’t declared these on his Register of Interests.
His directorships might have a bearing on his membership of not only Bromley Council but also its Development Control Committee, Executive, Resources and Contracts Policy Development and Scrutiny Committee (he’s its Vice-Chairman), Pensions Committee, Plans Sub-Committee No. 1 (he’s its Chairman) and the Public Protection and Enforcement Policy Development & Scrutiny Committee