By Sohaib Shams
An independent panel has concluded that sexual harassment allegations against Liberal Democrat peer Chris Rennard cannot be reinvestigated, citing a lack of new evidence. The decision ends a renewed review launched earlier this year after the party received legal advice that a 2013 inquiry was flawed.
Panel decision
The three independent adjudicators, all party members, met on 11 October and determined that without new evidence the case could not be reopened. The panel’s conclusion was communicated to Rennard on 3 November.
Party leader’s reaction
Liberal Democrat leader Ed Davey said he was “disappointed and upset” by the outcome. He acknowledged that the original 2013 investigation had let down the four women who made complaints, but stressed that the current complaints system would handle any new allegation far more reliably.
Background of allegations
The claims were made by four women, including former deputy party chair Alison Goldsworthy, academic Alison Smith, former adviser to Nick Clegg Bridget Harris, and former councillor Susan Gaszczak. A 2013 review by senior lawyer Alistair Webster KC found a less than 50% chance of proving the case beyond reasonable doubt, but described evidence of behaviour that violated the complainants’ personal space as “broadly credible”.
Rennard’s response
Rennard, 66, a former party chief executive and life peer since 1999, said all allegations had been thoroughly investigated and dismissed by police and independent inquiries in 2013‑14. He criticised the party for taking nine months to dismiss the renewed complaint, calling the process “legally flawed from the outset”. His solicitor, Richard Cannon, echoed that the renewed complaint should never have been brought.
