Liberal Democrat peer Lord Rennard has begun legal proceedings against the party after he was suspended for failing to apologise over allegations of sexual harassment.
The party's former chief executive was suspended by the Lib Dems pending a fresh investigation into claims he brought the party into disrepute by refusing to say sorry to four women activists who alleged he harassed them.
Party leader Nick Clegg ordered the peer to issue the apology after an earlier inquiry concluded that the women's claims were credible but there was insufficient evidence to bring disciplinary charges.
Mr Clegg had warned the former party chief executive that unless he apologised there would be further action saying "no apology, no whip" and urging him to "do the decent thing"
A spokesman for Lord Rennard said he had instructed a QC specialising in public law to advise him on the "lawfulness or otherwise" of the decision to launch a second inquiry into his conduct.
Shortly after news of the second investigation, Lord Rennard issued an extraordinarily personal three-page statement in which he said that he had been the victim of a smear campaign by the media and a "whispering campaign" within the party.
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