Weasel words: Nick Clegg insisted he didn't know about sex allegations against Lord Rennard Clegg: I asked chief of staff to probe concerns about Rennard in 2008 Deputy Prime Minister accepted denials of Lib Dem peer at face value Clegg's ex-deputy chief of staff referred to herself as Rennard's niece Rennard denies molesting women but faces prospect of police inquiry Labour MP John Mann writing to Scotland Yard to urge investigation By Tim Shipman and Ryan Kisiel Under fire: Nick Clegg (pictured in London last night) said he asked his chief of staff to probe 'concerns about Chris Rennard's conduct' in 2008 Nick Clegg was accused of a "classic cover-up" last night after admitting he has known for five years that Lord Rennard faced claims of molesting women. In a stunning about-face, Mr Clegg said he asked his chief of staff, Danny Alexander, to probe "concerns about Chris Rennard's conduct" in 2008. The Deputy Prime Minister conceded he accepted the denials of the then Lib Dem chief executive at face value and allowed him to retire on health grounds a year later. On another toxic day for the Lib Dems, the Mail can reveal that one of those who examined the accusations against Lord Rennard is a relative of the peer. Party sources say Mr Clegg's former deputy chief of staff, Alison Suttie, who is said to have asked an MP to quietly talk to women who had made complaints, referred to herself as Lord Rennard's "niece." Mr Clegg spoke out as it emerged that Lord Rennard, who categorically denies the claims that he molested women, is facing the prospect of a police inquiry. The Mail has learned that Labour MP John Mann is writing to Scotland Yard, urging them to investigate. Mr Mann said: "The Liberals have been sitting on their hands and on these allegations for years but also in recent days. This has all the hallmarks of a classic cover-up. It is important for everyone that the police look at this to clarify whether it's appropriate for them to investigate. Facing the greatest crisis of his leadership, Mr Clegg continued to insist last night that he had no idea about the specific allegations until last week. But after three days of denying all knowledge of the allegations, Mr Clegg finally admitted he got Mr Alexander to confront the peer about the claims. Peer: Lord Rennard (pictured), who categorically denies the claims that he molested women, is facing the prospect of a police inquiry He said: "I am angry and outraged at the suggestion that I would not have acted if these allegations had been put to me. Indeed, when indirect and non-specific concerns about Chris Rennard's conduct reached my office in 2008, we acted to deal with them. My chief of staff at the time, Danny Alexander, put these concerns to Chris Rennard and warned him that any such behaviour was wholly unacceptable. Chris Rennard categorically denied that he had behaved inappropriately and he continues to do so. An extract from last night's statement by the Deputy Prime Minister: The allegations made on Channel 4 concerning Lord Rennard last Thursday were extremely serious and distressing to the women involved. It is critical they are investigated thoroughly and dealt with properly and they will be. But I would like to make one thing crystal clear. I did not know about these allegations until Channel 4 informed the party of them shortly before they were broadcast. I have today spoken to one of the women in the broadcast who I respect and admire and who confirmed that she had never raised the issue with me. I am angry and outraged at the suggestion that I would not have acted if these allegations had been put to me. He subsequently resigned as Chief Executive on health grounds. As my office only received concerns indirectly and anonymously, as those involved understandably wanted to maintain their privacy, there was a limit to how we could take this matter forward following Chris Rennard's resignation. It is incorrect to state that there was any other separate inquiry by my office or anybody in it. I recognise from the Channel 4 broadcast that there are legitimate concerns that issues raised with the party were not handled as well as they should have been. In particular, the suggestion that a complaint was made but was not dealt with as a formal complaint. I am therefore determined that we carry out a thorough investigation into our procedures and how we applied them at the time to ensure we have a full and clear picture of what happened and the lessons that we need to learn. This review will be independently chaired. A separate investigation into the specific allegations about Lord Rennard will take place under our disciplinary procedure. These investigations may well reveal flawed procedures, and clearly the women concerned feel they were not properly listened to. But I totally reject the insidious suggestion that my office or I are responsible in any way for a deliberate cover-up. The full truth of what happened and what failed to happen and who said what to whom will be revealed by these investigations. But in the meantime, I will not stand by and allow my party to be subject to a show trial of innuendo, half-truths and slurs. The important thing is that we respect the women who have come forward and do everything to get to the truth. That is what will now happen. Mr Alexander echoed Mr Clegg's comments about his actions in 2008, and added: "I did not know about these specific allegations until the Channel 4 broadcast." On a day of chaos, both Business Secretary Vince Cable and Home Office Minister Jeremy Browne denied Mr Clegg knew anything about the allegations just hours before he came clean. And Mr Clegg's claim there was no separate inquiry is flatly contradicted by many of those involved, who say Miss Suttie, 44, asked Lib Dem MP Jo Swinson - now Equalities Minister - to interview those who had made claims against Lord Rennard through her role as the party's women and equalities spokesman. Miss Swinson said she had "taken action and ensured that others took action." She is reported to have told party activists to refer any future complaints back to Miss Suttie. The party's former national campaign officer, Duncan Borrowman, said: "I was asked to direct people to Alison Suttie in the leader's office. I believe there were about six women who had made complaints. The Mail can reveal that Miss Suttie's uncle is married to the sister of Lord Rennard's wife, Ann McTegart, meaning her uncle is Lord Rennard's brother-in-law. Several party workers have told the Mail that Miss Suttie was so close to the peer that she called herself his niece and had regular meals with him. Female party activists say they now want to know why Miss Suttie was involved in the matter and why their complaints were ignored. They added it was "common knowledge" in the party that she was related to Lord Rennard and feared their accusations would be dismissed. One party activist said: "Alison would refer to herself as Lord Rennard's niece through her connection to his wife all the time and everyone in the party knew the relationship. She would say how she had meals in their house and had known them for years. She was the only member of Menzies Campbell's staff to remain when Clegg became leader. They put this down to her relationship with Rennard. Lord Rennard was so powerful in the party and it would be interesting to find out who appointed Alison to look into the complaints as there is a strong smell of a cover-up. Miss Suttie said last night: "Your information is not correct. I am not the niece of Ann McTegart so I would not use that description. I was never appointed to conduct an investigation. No one in Nick Clegg's office was ever asked to do an investigation or were ever part of an investigation. But Tory MP Andrew Bridgen said it was time for the police to come in. This smacks of a classic internal cover-up from the top down. We should be urging the women involved to bring their allegations forward to the police. Mr Clegg announced that a Lib Dem disciplinary procedure would be launched "into the specific allegations about Lord Rennard" and an "independent" figure will be brought in to investigate "concerns that issues raised with the party were not handled as well as they should have been." Lib Dem officials said they would send evidence gathered by their investigation to the police and urged Lord Rennard's accusers to approach Scotland Yard. New details emerged today about the claims against Lord Rennard and that Mr Clegg failed to "do anything." Relative: Party sources say Mr Clegg's former deputy chief of staff, Alison Suttie, who is said to have asked an MP to quietly talk to women who had made complaints, referred to herself as Lord Rennard's 'niece' A party worker who claims she was molested emailed a friend who was well connected at Lib Dem HQ to ask: "I just don't know how Nick can know and not do anything. [It] makes me very sad. Alison Smith, an Oxford university lecturer who says she was touched inappropriately by Lord Rennard six years ago, said 100 women were invited to a residential weekend by the peer, where they were subjected to a "casting couch." The Liberals have been sitting on their hands and on these allegations for years but also in recent days. It is important for everyone that the police look at this to clarify whether it's appropriate for them to investigate' Labour MP John Mann During one of these away days, a young Lib Dem researcher was left "hysterical" after Lord Rennard allegedly molested her in his hotel room, an event dubbed "the Peterborough incident." The Mail has learned one female activist was sacked from the party and forced to sign a gagging order after trying to blow the whistle on Lord Rennard. Shadow equalities minister Kate Green said: "After days of total denials - some only hours ago from Lib Dem MPs Vince Cable and Jeremy Browne - Nick Clegg has now been forced to admit that he did know of what he calls "indirect concerns" about Lord Rennard. Nick Clegg's statement raises more questions than it answers about his judgment and the willingness of the Liberal Democrats as a party to properly investigate such serious allegations at the time they were made. Perhaps the most implausible thing Nick Clegg said about the reasons for his lack of direct action over the Lord Rennard sex allegations was that the complainants wanted to "maintain their privacy" and their allegations were "non-specific." In fact their privacy had already been fatally compromised because most of their identities were an open secret in Lib Dem circles and their allegations could hardly have been more specific. As long ago as 2003, activist Bridget Harris claims Lord Rennard repeatedly touched her inappropriately at a conference, and the following year the former Lib Dem chief executive allegedly tried to talk another young worker into bed in what became known to insiders as "the Peterborough incident." Bad timing: The cover of yesterday's Sunday Times magazine which carried an unrelated feature on Nick Clegg In the same year Jo Swinson, then a prospective candidate but now equalities minister, told colleagues Lord Rennard had "an issue about women." By 2007 - when Mr Clegg became leader - Lord Rennard's behaviour was being discussed at high levels within the party. Another female party worker, Alison Smith, complained about being groped by him both to Miss Swinson and to chief whip Paul Burstow. A year later complaints had mounted so much that an internal investigation was held. Mr Clegg says it was conducted by his then chief of staff Danny Alexander, but the Mail has learned that the head of the leader's private office - who boasted she was Lord Rennard's niece - was put in charge of collating the evidence. One woman from Lord Rennard's office who cooperated with that inquiry says she was subsequently forced out of her job and, as part of her severance terms, forced to sign a gagging clause pledging not to reveal what she knew. Is it likely Mr Clegg would not have been told the party was resorting to such draconian lengths to keep the affair quiet? He still maintains he knew nothing of the women themselves or their specific allegations. If this is so, he was kept in the dark by - along with many others - his office manager, chief of staff, chief whip and his equalities spokesman, all of them directly accountable to him. No fewer than ten women had made allegations against Lord Rennard, yet still Mr Clegg expects us to believe he wasn't moved to investigate them personally. Regardless of whether the claims were true, he might at least have thought they were worth taking seriously. The most charitable interpretation of events is that Mr Clegg's party took a deliberate decision not to inform him of the specific allegations, in order to protect him. The Liberal Democrats were given 53 hours to respond to Channel 4"s claims over Lord Rennard. But the editor of Channel 4 News revealed they did not do so until 18.59 on the day of the broadcast - one minute before the show aired. Ben de Pear made the comments on Twitter last night after Nick Clegg claimed he knew nothing about the allegations until C4 told the party shortly before the broadcast. But, given the seriousness of the claims, and the potential damage to the reputation of a party which champions equality and women's rights, is this a convincing thesis? There is another possibility: that Mr Clegg himself asked staff to tell him no specific details. That way, it would allow him to issue exactly the type of denial he is currently relying on. But this would have been an astonishingly cynical act. Mr Clegg is a leader who makes great play of standing up for the interests of women, inside and outside his party. Only last week, he was suggesting women MPs should be able to do a "job share" to make their lives easier. Female voters are unlikely to be impressed if it ever transpires that a man who says one thing in public had decided in private that he didn't want to know about alleged sexual harassment at the heart of his own party.