Chris Rennard, Baron Rennard

Chris Rennard, Baron Rennard

Christopher John Rennard, Baron Rennard MBE (born July 8, 1960 in Liverpool ) is a British functionary and politician of the Liberal Party and now the Liberal Democrats , who has been a life peer member of the House of Lords since 1999 .

Life

Chris Rennard is one of his parents' three children. His father died when he was three years old and his mother then raised the children alone. He attended the Liverpool Blue Coat School and became politically active in his hometown as a teenager, gaining first experience in 1979 for the victory of the Liberal Democrat candidate in a by-election to the British House of Commons in the constituency of Liverpool Edge Hill . After studying politics and economics at the University of Liverpool , Rennard began his professional career as a functionary of the Liberal Party and was initially campaign manager for David Alton between 1982 and 1984who was elected MP to the House of Commons in the June 9, 1983 general election in the Mossley Hill constituency of Liverpool . He then acted from 1984 to 1988 as managing director of the Liberal Party for the East Midlands region before, after the merger of the Liberal Party and Social Democratic Party (SDP), he was electoral coordinator of the resulting Social & Liberal Democrats between 1988 and 1989. After its final renaming in Liberal Democrats, he acted from 1989 to 2003 as director for election campaigns and elections. It is to his credit that the Liberal Democrats were able to increase the number of their MPs in the House of Commons from 22 in 1987 to over 60 in 2007, because his campaign tactics were so effective, despite the fact that they were often described as misleading by opponents for being themselves tuned in to local voters, highlighting different things in different places.

Rennard, who became a member of the Order of the British Empire in 1989 , was raised to the nobility as a life peer with the title Baron Rennard , of Wavertree in the County of Merseyside, by a letters patent dated July 21, 1999 . Shortly after its introduction was carried out ( Introduction ) as a member of the House of Lords . In the upper house it belongs to the faction of the Liberal Democrats.

Lord Rennard was Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats between 2003 and 2009 and was also active as communications director for the British Healthcare Trades Association. Between 2009 and 2010 he was spokesman for the House of Lords Liberal Democrats for municipalities and local government as well as for constitutional matters. Since 2011 he has been Vice President of the Local Government Association (LGA), which represents the interests of local governments in a manner comparable to the German Association of Towns and Municipalities .

Sexual harassment allegations

In June 2013, Lord Rennard was officially questioned by police in London on charges made by several women who accused him of sexual harassment between 2003 and 2007. Rennard, who firmly rejects the allegations, has decided not to participate in the work of the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords for the duration of this investigation in order not to burden their political work. A party-internal commission of inquiry has already raised allegations against Chairman Nick Clegg because of the way in which the complaints against Rennard were dealt with. Police announced in September 2013 that they would not pursue the allegations against Lord Rennard as there was insufficient evidence to support prosecution. An internal party investigation into the allegations, which had been suspended for the duration of the police investigation, will now investigate the case further. Accusations of intentional cover-up of the matter by the leadership of the party are now considered to be unjustified, even if the way in which the allegations were dealt with is described as "rash".

The internal party investigation showed that the allegations were entirely plausible, but that they could not be proven beyond doubt. While investigating committee chairman Alistair Webster QC requested an apology from Rennard and a change in behavior, his attorney Lord Carlile rejected this request. Party chairman Nick Clegg called an apology as a prerequisite for Rennard's return to the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords. Chris Rennard himself stated in a written statement that he would not apologize, as this would legally amount to an admission of guilt. He apologized for the fact that his behavior was misleading, which was never his intention. He continued to cite serious health problems that caused him the allegations. The Liberal Democrats decided to suspend Lord Rennard's party members until further notice in order to investigate whether he had harmed the party, which could result in expulsion from the party. Rennard himself reserved the right to take legal action against the party in this regard and made it clear that he did not want to resign in any case. Regardless of the decision on party membership, Lord Rennard is a member of the House of Lords, because even without party membership he is still a member with voting rights.

Individual evidence

1. ↑ ^{a b} Profile: Lord Rennard BBC News , January 20, 2014, accessed January 21, 2014
2. ↑ Lord Rennard quizzed by police over harassment BBC News June 16, 2013, accessed June 17, 2013
3. ↑ 'No action' over Lord Rennard sexual touching claims BBC News September 26, 2013, accessed September 27, 2013
4. ↑ Nick Clegg says Lord Rennard must apologize to regain party whip on BBC News, January 17, 2014, accessed January 21, 2014
5. ↑ Lord Rennard statement in full on BBC News, January 20, 2014, accessed January 21, 2014
6. ↑ Lord Rennard suspended from Lib Dems amid apology row on BBC News January 20, 2014, accessed January 21, 2014

Web links

• Entry on Parliament's homepage (accessed on November 28, 2012)
• Chris Rennard at Hansard (English)
• Entry in They Work For You (accessed November 28, 2012)
• Biography in Debrett's (accessed November 28, 2012)