Neil Sherlock, a former special advisor to Nick Clegg, the ex-leader of the Liberal Democrats and Deputy Prime Minister, has been charged with sexual assault.
Sherlock, 62, of Godalming, Surrey, faces a charge of sexually assaulting a woman over the age of 16 in Brighton, East Sussex, in September 2007. The incident was reported to police in September 2023.
He appeared at Westminster Magistrates' Court on July 13, where he pleaded not guilty and was granted unconditional bail. Sherlock is scheduled to next appear at Portsmouth Crown Court on August 10.
Sherlock, who worked for Clegg from January 2012 to March 2013, has denied the allegations. "I absolutely deny the charges that have been made against me," he told the Daily Mail.
At the time of the alleged assault in 2007, Sherlock was a partner at the professional services firm KPMG, a role he held from September 1985 until December 2011. He joined Clegg's office shortly thereafter.
Sherlock has had a varied career in public and political service. He was awarded a CBE in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours list. During his tenure in Clegg's office, his stated achievements included the introduction of shared parental leave and the extension of flexible working policies.
Clegg led the Liberal Democrats from 2007 and served as Deputy Prime Minister from 2010 to 2015 as part of a coalition government with the Conservative Party. He resigned as leader in 2015 following the general election results.
Sherlock's professional background includes roles at PwC, where he focused on communications, reputation strategy, and the implications of Brexit. He also published a report on the company's gender pay gap and assisted in fundraising for charities.
More recently, Sherlock co-founded Acuti Associates in 2023, a firm that advises business leaders. He has also served as a special advisor to the UK chief executive of KPMG since 2021. He has held board positions with various organizations, including The Britain Project, a cross-party political group, Surrey Drug and Alcohol Care, and Words Matter, a campaign against verbal child abuse. His past board memberships include the Centre for Justice Commission and the Prison Reform Trust's Women's Justice Taskforce.
Sherlock studied Philosophy, Politics, and Economics at the University of Oxford, graduating with first-class honors in 1984. In the same year, he was elected president of the Oxford Union, a university debating society, reportedly defeating former Prime Minister Boris Johnson in the election.
Sussex Police, the investigating authority, confirmed that a report of a non-recent sexual assault was received in September 2023. Following an investigation, Sherlock was charged on May 15, 2026.