Lib Dems suspend Chris Rennard amid new inquiry into sexual harassment claims

The Liberal Democrat peer Chris Rennard has been suspended from the party amid a new investigation into sexual harassment allegations.The party said it had received advice that a 2013 inquiry into the claims made by four women against Lord Rennard was “flawed in several respects”.The Lib Dem leader, Ed Davey, believes Rennard, 65, should not be a member of the House of Lords, the party added.In turn, Rennard, a former chief executive of the party who was awarded a life peerage in 1999, pointed to a series of investigations by police and lawyers that had concluded the allegations against him could not be proved.He previously said he was sorry if he had “inadvertently encroached” upon anyone’s “personal space”.Three of the women involved in the original claim welcomed the move as “the first signs of change” by the party.The former deputy party chair Alison Goldsworthy, the academic Alison Smith, and Bridget Harris, a former adviser to Nick Clegg, issued a joint statement after the latest developments.They said: “We decided to speak out in 2013 so that future generations of women could participate in politics safely.“We did not expect a fair investigation to take so long and hope that the next steps will finally put the matter to rest.”The fourth complainant, the former councillor Susan Gaszczak, resigned from the party in 2014 after the original investigation.She said at the time she “could no longer remain a member of a party that feels it acceptable for the then chief executive to invite me to his hotel room to advance my political career”.A Lib Dem spokesperson said: “Rennard has had the Liberal Democrat whip in the House of Lords and his party membership suspended, 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.”A review carried out by the senior lawyer Alistair Webster KC in 2013 concluded that there was a less than 50% chance of the case against Rennard being proved beyond a reasonable doubt.But in a statement summarising his findings, he said there was “broadly credible” evidence of “behaviour which violated the personal space and autonomy of the complainants”.Responding to the latest suspension, Rennard said: “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.”