Local Lib Dem leader under fire for inviting Lord Rennard to be guest speaker at Annual Dinner

Councillor Andy Kelly under fire for Lord Rennard as choice of Annual Dinner speaker

David Winder, local UKIP vice-chairman, has taken Councillor Andy Kelly to task over Lord Rennard being the guest speaker at the local Lib Dem Annual Dinner.

The Lib Dem peer denied any wrong doing when he was accused by four female party activists of touching them inappropriately, and no further action was taken after investigations by police and a QC.

Lord Rennard issued a statement, 14 months after the initial accusations, in which he said recognised that he may have encroached upon "personal space" and would "therefore like to apologise sincerely for any such intrusion and assure them that this would have been inadvertent".

Councillor Kelly said Lord Rennard is welcome. In an email to Mr Winder he said: "Allegations made against Lord Rennard of Wavertree were thoroughly investigated by the Metropolitan Police who decided that there would be no charges.

"A QC was then appointed as an independent investigator to review all the evidence and he decided that there was no case for a disciplinary hearing.

"An independent businesswoman then reviewed the party's response to the allegations and concluded that there was no case for any 'ambivalence' towards Lord Rennard's position in the party and that all the 'No Further Action' decisions should be respected.

"We look forward to welcoming him into our Borough to speak about his massive contribution to British politics over the past 30 odd years."

Responding, Mr Winder said: "Alistair Webster QC returned 'No Further Action' based on the evidence not reaching the standard 'of beyond reasonable doubt', which would have been required to gain a criminal conviction, as opposed to the 'balance of probability' required under a civil court action.

"Even though Alistair Webster decided insufficient evidence existed to satisfy the requirements of your party's internal disciplinary standard, he concluded that it was 'unlikely that it could be established beyond reasonable doubt that Lord Rennard had intended to act in an indecent or sexually inappropriate way' and that 'I have specifically discounted suggestions made during the investigation that the incidents had been invented as part of a political campaign against Lord Rennard. In my view Lord Rennard ought to reflect upon the effect that his behaviour has had and the distress which it caused and that an apology would be appropriate, as would a commitment to change his behaviour in future'.

"So not an exoneration, anything but in fact. Merely an acceptance that the incidents happened, just that the level of proof couldn't be met as required by your own internal rules.

"Yet you still consider this man fit to attend your annual dinner?"