Nick Clegg used to take allegations of sexual impropriety very seriously indeed. Here he is in November 2012, making it very clear where he stands on ITV’s The Agenda:

“Serious questions need to be asked and if after we find out what’s happened, it’s clear that people have turned a blind eye or, worse still, connived with it, then of course they’re going to have to be held to account and – if that turns out to be the case – heads will need to roll of course.”

Here is is that same month, asking all the right questions on 5Live:

“I have been thinking about this a lot, because I cannot understand how this could have remained hidden for so long. There just must have been so many people who knew what was going on …and I just keep asking myself why, why did this remain buried for so long?” 

Now of course this was Clegg commenting on sex allegations against Jimmy Savile, rather than the entirely unconnected matter of Lord Rennard that blew up three months later. But interesting, nonetheless…