Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg is to admit knowing of general concerns about the party's former chief executive, Lord Rennard.
The BBC understands the deputy PM will outline later the action taken, but say he had not known about specific sexual misconduct claims.
Last week Channel 4 News aired claims of impropriety toward women by the peer, which he denies.
Some reports since have questioned if Mr Clegg knew of the claims years ago.
The Mail on Sunday reported that one of the women who came forward to Channel 4 News had discussed the allegations with a friend on Facebook in January 2009.
"I just don't know how nick can know and not do anything.. :-( makes me very sad," she wrote, according to the paper.
However, Business Secretary Vince Cable said he and Mr Clegg had "absolutely not" known about the claims.
"But they are serious, and we take them very seriously," he said on the BBC's Andrew Marr Show.
Mr Cable says he was unaware of the misconduct claims against Lib Dem colleague Lord Rennard
Mr Cable added: "It's obviously wrong if there are women there who have made complaints and felt they weren't dealt with properly, so we are now setting up a proper investigative process - we want an independent element to that - and we'll get to the bottom of it."
Ahead of a statement due from Mr Clegg on Sunday evening, BBC political correspondent Iain Watson said: "I think privately he feels that this controversy isn't so much about Lord Rennard, there's an attempt to undermine him and his party leadership.
"Lib Dems themselves would admit that, in the run-up to a crucial by-election, these allegations haven't come at a good time."
The Lib Dems have launched an internal investigation into the allegations against Lord Rennard, under the party's disciplinary procedures.
Party president Tim Farron is also reviewing the way the party has dealt with allegations of this sort in the past.
'Total distortion'On Thursday, Channel 4 News broadcast allegations by two women of sexual impropriety by Lord Rennard in incidents spanning several years.
The women told the news programme he had abused his position by inappropriately touching and propositioning them.
One of the women said she had spoken to two senior party figures about her claims, but said no action had been taken. Allegations from more women were broadcast on Friday.
"Gradually his hand started to rub the outside of my leg," one of the women - a very active member of the Lib Dems - told Channel 4.
"I thought at first he'd just brushed against me. Then I moved away and it happened again. And he moved closer - and I moved away again. And he moved closer, and he just kept brushing parts of me that I didn't want to be brushed."
Mr Clegg's former parliamentary aide, Jo Swinson, and now equalities minister, has said she "took action" after some women had confided in her, but she has not specified what form that action took.
Lord Rennard, chief executive from 2003 to 2009, and a key strategist and adviser to a succession of party leaders, said he was "deeply shocked" about the allegations and said they were a "total distortion" of his character.
The peer said he knew of no complaints against him in his 27 years working for the party, but he has temporarily stood aside from the Lib Dems' group in the Lords to avoid "embarrassment" to the party.
No comments:
Post a Comment