Nick Clegg has insisted he will not back down on his demands for Lord Rennard to apologise to women who made allegations about his behaviour. The party's former chief executive has launched legal action to block a second internal inquiry.
A Lib Dem internal inquiry has said its former chief executive Lord Rennard should not face disciplinary action over harassment claims as there was less than a 50 per cent chance that a charge against him could be proved to the requisite standard.
Last September the Metropolitan Police said they would take no further action over the allegations against the Liberal Democrat peer.
The report's author Alistair Webster QC concluded: "It is my view that 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."
Former Liberal leader Lord Steel has told ITV News the party is in an "awful mess" over the Rennard row and it needs "to get a grip" of it.
Lord Rennard has threatened to take legal action after being suspended for refusing to apologise over sexual harassment allegations.