Chris Rennard joins two front bench teams in the House of Lords

There’s been a small reshuffle of the Liberal Democrat team in the House of Lords. The main change is that Chris Rennard has joined the front bench teams for both Constitutional Affairs and for Communities & Local Government.

This change will add some serious experience to these two teams.

Other changes included Sue Miller stepping down from Home Affairs, who has been replaced by Sally Hamwee and Graham Tope takes over at Communities & Local Government.

Lord Rennard cleared in expenses row

Earlier this evening the Clerk of the Parliaments, the senior official who was investigating the complaint made against the former Liberal Democrats Chief Executive and Peer, Lord Rennard.

I liked the line in the ruling "...Lord Rennard’s record over the period in question shows that he was far from inactive in the House ..." given the hours Chris Rennard worked over the road in our Cowley Street HQ, I bumped into Chris Rennard many of the weekends I was working there.

The ruling by the Clerk of the Parliaments rejects the allegations made that Chris Rennard claimed overnight subsistence for days that he was not present in the House and also rejects allegations that he made claims related to having a home outside London that he wasn’t entitled to make:

"Your allegation that Lord Rennard did not attend on all the days for which he claimed overnight subsistence is not, therefore, well-founded; and I accordingly do not uphold this aspect of the complaint."

You can read the full report and response to the allegation here. Given how quick the knives came out for Chris Rennard, let us see if people are as quick to apologise?