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| Nick Clegg under pressure over complaint letter about Mike Hancock | Nick Clegg under pressure over complaint letter about Mike Hancock |
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| Nick Clegg is facing fresh pressure over his claim that his office "never" received a letter from the solicitor of a woman who complained about allegedly inappropriate sexual behaviour by the veteran Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock. | Nick Clegg is facing fresh pressure over his claim that his office "never" received a letter from the solicitor of a woman who complained about allegedly inappropriate sexual behaviour by the veteran Liberal Democrat MP Mike Hancock. |
| The woman's solicitor, Harriet Wistrich of Birnberg Peirce and Partners, said she wrote to the party in October 2011 after her client failed to receive a proper reply having written "one email and two full letters of complaint" to Clegg's office earlier that year. | The woman's solicitor, Harriet Wistrich of Birnberg Peirce and Partners, said she wrote to the party in October 2011 after her client failed to receive a proper reply having written "one email and two full letters of complaint" to Clegg's office earlier that year. |
| The intervention by Wistrich raises questions about a claim by the deputy prime minister in his weekly LBC radio interview on Thursday that his office was not contacted by the woman's solicitor. | The intervention by Wistrich raises questions about a claim by the deputy prime minister in his weekly LBC radio interview on Thursday that his office was not contacted by the woman's solicitor. |
| Clegg was asked by the LBC radio presented Nick Ferrari why he did not reply to a written complaint he received in March 2011 about Hancock's behaviour. | Clegg was asked by the LBC radio presented Nick Ferrari why he did not reply to a written complaint he received in March 2011 about Hancock's behaviour. |
| Clegg told Ferrari: "My office never received one of the letters from the complainant's solicitors. We did receive a letter in February of this year. You'll be aware, I hope, because I think it's only fair to point this out, that the police have looked into this matter before, have dismissed it because I don't think that they can take it forward on advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. But you're right, we did receive a fuller letter from the complainant in February of this year." | Clegg told Ferrari: "My office never received one of the letters from the complainant's solicitors. We did receive a letter in February of this year. You'll be aware, I hope, because I think it's only fair to point this out, that the police have looked into this matter before, have dismissed it because I don't think that they can take it forward on advice from the Crown Prosecution Service. But you're right, we did receive a fuller letter from the complainant in February of this year." |
| It is understood the woman wrote to Clegg in March 2011 at Lib Dem headquarters. This was followed by an email to his office a month later, which prompted a standard acknowledgment. She wrote a second letter in May 2011 after receiving no proper reply to her first letter or email. She again got no reply. | It is understood the woman wrote to Clegg in March 2011 at Lib Dem headquarters. This was followed by an email to his office a month later, which prompted a standard acknowledgment. She wrote a second letter in May 2011 after receiving no proper reply to her first letter or email. She again got no reply. |
| Wistrich wrote to the Guardian: "My client, the constituent, wrote one email and two full letters of complaint in 2011. The email received an automatic acknowledgment, but when the complainant received no reply to the letters, she became sufficiently paranoid to tape-record two telephone calls in attempt to discover why she had not received a response. She was then given to believe a reply would be sent to her, but received none. | Wistrich wrote to the Guardian: "My client, the constituent, wrote one email and two full letters of complaint in 2011. The email received an automatic acknowledgment, but when the complainant received no reply to the letters, she became sufficiently paranoid to tape-record two telephone calls in attempt to discover why she had not received a response. She was then given to believe a reply would be sent to her, but received none. |
| "Subsequently, the complainant instructed me and I wrote to the Liberal Democrat party in October 2011. They wrote back in February 2012 indicating that a 'relevant committee' had considered the complaint but decided not to investigate, as both the police and parliamentary standards commissioner had decided not to investigate." | "Subsequently, the complainant instructed me and I wrote to the Liberal Democrat party in October 2011. They wrote back in February 2012 indicating that a 'relevant committee' had considered the complaint but decided not to investigate, as both the police and parliamentary standards commissioner had decided not to investigate." |
| In his radio interview Clegg said that the "fuller" letter from the woman this February prompted him to despatch Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem chief whip, to investigate. "My chief whip has gone down to Portsmouth, has spoken to Mike Hancock's solicitors, has written to the complainant's solicitors offering to meet them, I hope they will do that. So I hope you won't imply in any way that we're not acting very, very thoroughly and quickly in response to what of course are serious allegations which are also very vigorously denied by Mike Hancock." | In his radio interview Clegg said that the "fuller" letter from the woman this February prompted him to despatch Alistair Carmichael, the Lib Dem chief whip, to investigate. "My chief whip has gone down to Portsmouth, has spoken to Mike Hancock's solicitors, has written to the complainant's solicitors offering to meet them, I hope they will do that. So I hope you won't imply in any way that we're not acting very, very thoroughly and quickly in response to what of course are serious allegations which are also very vigorously denied by Mike Hancock." |
| Wistrich suggested that the Lib Dems acted only when the party was criticised over its failure to take action over separate allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the Lib Dem peer Lord Rennard. "It was only following the Lord Rennard scandal, that I wrote again to the Lib Dems asking them to review their decision. I was told the matter was receiving urgent consideration. However, it was not until 28 March, the day of Nick Clegg's broadcast, that I received a letter requesting a meeting with myself and the complainant." | Wistrich suggested that the Lib Dems acted only when the party was criticised over its failure to take action over separate allegations of inappropriate behaviour by the Lib Dem peer Lord Rennard. "It was only following the Lord Rennard scandal, that I wrote again to the Lib Dems asking them to review their decision. I was told the matter was receiving urgent consideration. However, it was not until 28 March, the day of Nick Clegg's broadcast, that I received a letter requesting a meeting with myself and the complainant." |
| The Lib Dems conduced an exhaustive search for the March 2011 letter from the complainant after her solicitor enclosed a copy when she submitted a detailed complaint last month. But the Lib Dems did not find any record of it. A party spokesperson said: "We understand from the complainant's solicitor that she did write to us in March 2011. We apologise but as we have no record of the letter we did not reply at the time." |