Political Career
Chris was born in Liverpool in 1960. He began to organise election campaigns for the Liberals as a teenager in the 1970s. During that time, the Liberal Party ran the City Council and won the Edge Hill parliamentary by-election of 1979.
In the 1983 general election, he was the agent and campaign director for David Alton who is no Lord Alton. This was for the newly created Liverpool Mossley Hill constituency which was won from third place. This was the biggest swing (14%) against the Conservatives than anywhere in England.
He served as Chair of the Liverpool Young Liberals. At university in Liverpool, he was Chair of the Liberal and Social Democrat Students. He also became Deputy Chair of the Liverpool Liberal Party. During the 1980s he was a key member of the Liberal SDP Alliance’s parliamentary by-election team. Chris was also a leading activist within the Association of Liberal Councillors, for whom he wrote many of the party’s campaign training manuals. Rennard was awarded the MBE for political service in 1989.
House of Lords
In 1999 Chris Rennard was appointed a life peer, this was on the recommendation of Paddy Ashdown. He is a member of the Liberal Democrat group in the House of Lords. He works with the teams on issues including election regulation, political and constitutional reform, and public health. Chris Rennard has been a member of the Constitution, Information, and the Political Polling and Digital Media Select Committees.
Liberal Democrats Director of Campaigns & Elections
Chris Rennard was appointed the role of Director of Campaigns & Elections for the Liberal Democrats in 1989. This followed the party’s failure to win any seats in the European Elections of June that year.
The Lib Dems had come fourth nationally with just 6% of the vote. He worked closely with the leader Paddy Ashdown in order to rebuild the party. He oversaw the party’s parliamentary by-election successes and major advances in local government.
In the 1997 general election, Chris Rennard was responsible for the party’s target seat strategy. The Lib Dems made 28 gains in that campaign, increasing their tally to 46 MPs. The last elections in which he worked with Paddy before he stood down as Leader were in 1999.
In the European elections, the party elected 10 MEPs, which were 5 women and 5 men. Additionally in that year, there were 17 members of the Scottish Parliament and 6 members of the Welsh Assembly. In the May local elections in, the party polled 24% of the vote. That day alone they won over 2,600 council seats and 20 local councils.
Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats
Chris Rennard was appointed Chief Executive of the Liberal Democrats in 2003 when Charles Kennedy was the Leader. During his time in these roles he oversaw 13 parliamentary by-election successes for the Lib Dems between Eastbourne (1990) and Dunfermline & West Fife in (2006). Other notable parliamentary by-election successes also included Kincardine & Deeside (1991), Newbury (1993), Christchurch (1993), Littleborough & Saddleworth (1995) and Leicester South (2004). The party increased its number of MPs at Westminster in the 2001 and 2005 General Elections to 52 (19% of the vote) and then to 62 (22% of the vote). This was the highest number of MPs since Lloyd George had led the Liberal Party.
When he stood down as Chief Executive in 2009, the Liberal Democrats had 63 MPs, 11 MEPs, 16 Members of the Scottish Parliament, and 6 members of the Welsh assembly. The Liberal Democrats controlled 29 principal authority local councils, and it had won over 4,000 council seats.
Business Career
Rennard & McTegart was established as a consultancy in 2010. They provide management, campaign communications and fund-raising advice. Rennard acted as the Director of Communications for the British Healthcare Trades Association (BHTA) from 2011 to 2020. He has worked with Trade Associations in healthcare, environmental and other sectors. He has advised charities and not-for-profit bodies on fundraising and management. Chris has also chaired a Commission on “The Big Society” for the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations (ACEVO). He has additionally published a number of articles, undertaken professional speechmaking engagements, and published his campaign memoirs, Winning Here which were published by BiteBack Publishing in 2018.
Allegations
In September 2009, Lord Rennard was comprehensively cleared by the parliamentary authorities over an allegation that he may have misused the peers’ allowance system . The Metropolitan Police decided to take no action over allegations made against him in February 2013. The independent investigator, Alistair Webster QC also found no evidence to justify a disciplinary hearing. Helena Morrissey (now a Conservative Peer) was asked to undertake an independent review of the party’s processes and in 2014 she concluded that, “there is no justification for it [the Lib Dems] remaining ambivalent towards Lord Rennard – he should be just as welcome a participant or guest at Party events as any other.”
Complaints against Lord Rennard
I am writing in relation to the previous investigations in relation to Lord Rennard. Two separate investigations were conducted and, in each case, concluded there was not a basis for action. I was the Investigator appointed by the Party in the second investigation.
The original investigation and report by Alastair Webster QC reported on 22 December 2013, with a public announcement on 15th January 2014.
It concluded that no action would be taken and did not require Lord Rennard to apologise.
Following the conclusion of that process, on 20th January 2014, the English Regional Parties Committee decided to commence a second investigation, for which I was appointed Investigator. I reported on 12th August 2014.
The question for this second investigation was whether there was sufficient evidence that Lord Rennard had brought the party into disrepute for the party to proceed with a disciplinary process. The threshold for such an investigation to be triggered is a low one of whether there is a suspicion that any of the constitutional grounds are satisfied. My role was not to fact find; my role was to advise the Regional Parties Committee on whether there was sufficient evidence upon which to ‘charge’ Lord Rennard.
I advised that there was not a reasonable prospect of a Panel properly directed reaching the conclusion that he had brought the Party into disrepute, so there was not a sufficient basis for the disciplinary complaint against Lord Rennard to proceed to a hearing.
It was very clear to me from the outset that various elements of the party nationally held deeply entrenched views, not always evidentially based, so that I was conscious that there were those on each side who would be dissatisfied whatever my conclusions.
In my investigation I looked at the media storm following the Webster Report and the sources of that storm. I was in no doubt that there were media campaigns from people within the party spinning against Lord Rennard, as well as some ill-advised third-party comments.
My report to the Chair of the RPC was confidential but was leaked from the Party’s Press office before Lord Rennard had been informed (as had been a previous stage of the process). Lord Rennard received an apology, I understand, but that was, I am afraid, not untypical of the climate I found in parts of the Party during my involvement as Investigator.
Emeritus Professor Chris Willmore 29 April 2024.
Professor Christine Willmore is a qualified barrister and law lecturer, Lib Dem Councillor, former Council Leader, parliamentary candidate, Chair of the Party’s Appeals Panel, and one of the leading female activists in the Liberal Party/Liberal Democrats for over 40 years.
Apologies and Clarifications
The following are quotes from different sources clarifying the allegations made against Lord Rennard.
“It is clear from both articles that you denied the allegations and the police took no action against you following their investigation. Nevertheless, we are happy to include some additional information and I have amended both articles to include the fact that you were cleared of any wrongdoing by an independent investigation, and I have also added a footnote to each to record those amendments. Both footnotes reiterate the information that you were cleared of any wrongdoing”.
The Indy
“The Metropolitan Police decided that there was insufficient evidence to pursue allegations of harassment brought against Lord Rennard, and that an inquiry commissioned by the Liberal Democrats found nothing to warrant disciplinary action against him. Further, an independent review concluded “there was no justification for any ambivalence towards Lord Rennard’s position in the party”.
The Times
“CLARIFICATION: Following publication of this article, we were asked to clarify that the Metropolitan Police decided that there was insufficient evidence to pursue allegations of harassment brought against Lord Rennard, and that an inquiry commissioned by the Liberal Democrats found nothing to warrant disciplinary action against him. Further, an independent review concluded “there was no justification for any ambivalence towards Lord Rennard’s position in the party”. We are happy to set this out”.
The Telegraph
“Regarding Ian Burrell’s “Media on Monday” column (i Business, 29 January) and the reporting carried out by the Channel 4 News presenter Cathy Newman, we are happy to clarify that all of the allegations relating to Lord Rennard were investigated by the Metropolitan Police and a QC appointed by the Liberal Democrats, and that he was cleared of any wrongdoing”.
The Independent
“You may have already seen that we have updated the online articles to make clear that the complaints were not upheld after investigation by the police and an independent lawyer. I trust that this resolves your concerns on this point… we are keen to draw a line under matters, and so I have amended the article to remove the reference to female staff”. [ [No female staff ever made a complaint]”.
Managing Editor Daily Mail
Letter from Independent Investigator confirming the No Further Action decision after the completion of all investigations concerning Lord Rennard.