Nick Clegg refuses to confirm he will take diversity training:
Deputy prime minister accepts criticisms in review of party's internal culture but declines to take up recommendation
Nick Clegg has refused to say whether he will personally comply with a recommendation in the report criticising the Liberal Democrats for failing to properly investigate allegations of sexual harassment against the party's former chief executive Lord Rennard, which says that party members should undergo diversity training.
The deputy prime minister and three other senior Lib Dems were criticised for not launching a formal investigation after alleged victims came forward in a review of the party's internal culture and handling of the complaints. A series of recommendations in the report, by businesswoman Helena Morrissey, included "ensur[ing] that there is diversity training provided to men as well as women".
Clegg was asked five times by radio host Nick Ferrari on his weekly phone-in show on LBC radio on Thursday whether he would personally take such training but refused to answer. "The most important thing for me, as the leader of the Liberal Democrats, is to make sure that we are open, take it on the chin where criticism has been made, and make sure that those changes are then implemented," he said. When the question was repeated to him, he variously described it as "a slightly partial question" and tried to laugh it off.
Clegg admitted his party was not diverse enough but said the report recognised that changes were being made. Ferrari's probing came after a member of the public sent in a question asking whether the deputy prime minister would apologise for the failures identified in the report. Clegg said: "Of course, I take responsibility as leader of that organisation for the flaws that are identified in the report.
"Mistakes were made. I take responsibility for those mistakes. It is my job to identify them, to do that openly and to fix them."
The chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, equalities minister Jo Swinson, and former health minister Paul Burstow were the others criticised for failing to launch a formal investigation after alleged victims came forward.
Clegg said Morrissey had "very fairly" found that the people addressing the allegations "dealt with these issues with the right motives but not with the right processes", and that the report vindicated his previous assertions that there was no cover-up within the party.
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Deputy prime minister accepts criticisms in review of party's internal culture but declines to take up recommendation
Nick Clegg has refused to say whether he will personally comply with a recommendation in the report criticising the Liberal Democrats for failing to properly investigate allegations of sexual harassment against the party's former chief executive Lord Rennard, which says that party members should undergo diversity training.
The deputy prime minister and three other senior Lib Dems were criticised for not launching a formal investigation after alleged victims came forward in a review of the party's internal culture and handling of the complaints. A series of recommendations in the report, by businesswoman Helena Morrissey, included "ensur[ing] that there is diversity training provided to men as well as women".
Clegg was asked five times by radio host Nick Ferrari on his weekly phone-in show on LBC radio on Thursday whether he would personally take such training but refused to answer. "The most important thing for me, as the leader of the Liberal Democrats, is to make sure that we are open, take it on the chin where criticism has been made, and make sure that those changes are then implemented," he said. When the question was repeated to him, he variously described it as "a slightly partial question" and tried to laugh it off.
Clegg admitted his party was not diverse enough but said the report recognised that changes were being made. Ferrari's probing came after a member of the public sent in a question asking whether the deputy prime minister would apologise for the failures identified in the report. Clegg said: "Of course, I take responsibility as leader of that organisation for the flaws that are identified in the report.
"Mistakes were made. I take responsibility for those mistakes. It is my job to identify them, to do that openly and to fix them."
The chief secretary to the Treasury, Danny Alexander, equalities minister Jo Swinson, and former health minister Paul Burstow were the others criticised for failing to launch a formal investigation after alleged victims came forward.
Clegg said Morrissey had "very fairly" found that the people addressing the allegations "dealt with these issues with the right motives but not with the right processes", and that the report vindicated his previous assertions that there was no cover-up within the party.
guardian.co.uk © 2013 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved. | Use of this content is subject to our Terms & Conditions | More Feeds
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