The rumours began circulating as early as 2004, Chris Rennard party election chief mastermind of 10 by-election gains, guilty of unwanted sexual advances and beyond. The architect of ‘pavement politics’ sent a young prospective female candidate running from his room in tears in what became known as the ‘Peterborough incident’. Rennard curiously took a back seat in the party in 2009 for the infamous family and health reasons – code for 'I’ve been busted and we’ve begun a cover-up'.