Isabel Hardman Isabel Hardman

Lib Dem sexual harassment report: what you need to know

Helena Morrissey has published her report on the allegations of sexism in the Liberal Democrats triggered by the Lord Rennard scandal. In short, she concludes that there wasn’t a cover-up, but her report suggests the party was guilty more of a cock-up. She told journalists this afternoon that ‘mistakes were definitely made by Nick Clegg, Danny Alexander and Jo Swinson’, and that ‘I think the party should have done things differently’. Here are the five main points from the 59-page report on ‘Processes and culture within the Liberal Democrats and Recommendations for Change’:

1. The party failed to address complaints properly, but did not consciously cover them up.

Morrissey’s report said:

‘My review has revealed a number of people within the Party failing to properly investigate complaints in a timely and professional manner. However, the reasons for this have been varied and I found little evidence to suggest a conscious attempt to ‘cover up’ problems. Instead, there has been a tendency for the Party to try to ‘handle’ complaints rather than to fully and properly investigate them in a timely, professional manner. Individuals appear to have been generally acting in good faith but without realising the importance of adhering to process or being aware of the processes in place. While this may appear a benign mistake, it has caused problems to fester unresolved, to the detriment of all involved.’

None of those at the top were judged guilty of a cover-up, rather Morrissey judged that they should have taken certain steps to address complaints that they failed to take. The report says ‘no-one really knew quite what to do in this sensitive situation’. Paul Burstow comes in for particular criticism as chief whip at the time, with the review judging that even though he believed the women involved did not want the matter taken further, he should have ‘proactively taken the issue to the president’.

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