Nick Clegg was warned last night that he could lose the leadership of the Liberal Democrats if the party pressed ahead in trying to expel Lord Rennard.
Senior party figures are braced for a bloody confrontation over the conduct of the former Liberal Democrat chief executive, who made a limited apology to four women while insisting that he was innocent of the main substance of their allegations of sexual harassment.
Mr Clegg is reluctant to be seen to side against the alleged victims, whose claims of inappropriate touching were investigated for the party by Alistair Webster, QC. His report has not been published. However, the Liberal Democrat leader is being warned that he will “recruit lots more enemies” if he follows through on threats to