Lib Dem peer Lord Rennard is suspended from the celebration once more over claims he sexually harassed feminine members
A Lib Dem peer has been suspended from the party following claims he sexually harassed female members.
Lord Rennard, the party’s former chief executive, had the whip suspended on Friday over historic allegations that he inappropriately touched several women in 2013.
The 65-year-old peer was investigated over the claims in 2014, with a report later finding the women’s’ complaints were ‘broadly credible’.
Despite this, the Metropolitan Police at the time decided there was insufficient evidence to pursue the case and he remained in the party.
Lord Rennard denied the allegations and apologised if he had ‘inadvertently encroached’ on the women’s ‘personal space’,
But, he has now been suspended once again after the party received legal advice that the 2013 investigation ‘was flawed in several respects’.
A spokesperson said Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey had ‘made clear he believes Rennard should not be a member of the House of Lords’ and his whip has now been removed.
Sir Ed was reportedly contacted by one of Rennard’s alleged victims this week, who urged him to apply the same standards he had when calling for Lord Mandelson to be removed from the Lords, The Telegraph reports.
Lord Rennard, who has been suspended from the party following claims he sexually harassed female members
The Lib Dem peer (pictured) had the whip suspended on Friday over historic allegations that he inappropriately touched several women in 2013
A spokesperson for the party said: ‘Rennard has had the Liberal Democrat whip suspended in the House of Lords and the party is conducting a new investigation into these allegations.
‘The party has now received legal advice that the 2013 investigation into allegations against Rennard was flawed in several respects.
‘Ed Davey has made clear he believes Rennard should not be a member of the House of Lords and that it should be made easier for peers to be expelled from the Lords for serious misconduct.’
Lord Rennard said in a statement: ‘All allegations made against me were investigated by the Metropolitan Police Service in 2013 in what was acknowledged by one of the complainants to be a “thorough and professional investigation”. After interviewing all concerned and considering any evidence they decided not to send a file to the Crown Prosecution Service and took no further action.
‘A thorough investigation of all allegations was then undertaken by an independent lawyer Alistair Webster KC following very extensive appeals for any complaints concerning me and any evidence. His report submitted to the party in December 2013 concluded that there was insufficient evidence to hold a disciplinary hearing. The report he submitted did not include the word “credible”. His report was accepted by the relevant party body in January 2014.
‘A further investigation was conducted by another independent lawyer as to whether there were any grounds at all for any form of disciplinary action against me and it concluded that there were not. This conclusion was accepted by the party in August 2014 when all disciplinary action against me ended.
‘There was then an independent review of all these processes by the businesswoman Helena Morrissey MBE who is now a Conservative Peer. She concluded in December 2014 that, “At this point, December 2014, every investigation has concluded with no further action to be taken against Lord Rennard.The process over the past nearly two years – conducted according to the prevailing rules – has run its course and although the outcome is a source of great frustration to some, I believe that the Party can only move on if that outcome is accepted. At this stage, given that the Party applied its own processes, there is no justification for it remaining ambivalent towards Lord Rennard – he should be just as welcome a participant or guest at Party events as any other”.’
