That’s the news from Peston on Sunday’s interview with Miriam Gonzalez Durantez:

The allegations against the Labour candidate (and now MP) Jared O’Mara who was fighting the Sheffield Hallam seat against Nick Clegg were much worse than the sort of incidental tittle tattle to which the right response is to ignore and rise above it. Based on what I know, it seems to me a mistake therefore not to have raised these sorts of issues during an election.

Taking care over when to criticise the personality of an opponent is wise. But when you have evidence about issues as serious as sexism and homophobia and the person in question is bidding to become an MP, then – if you have solid evidence – raising them I would even go so far as to say is necessary. Democracy requires the cases for and against candidates, parties and policies to be put before the public.

If you don’t put the case against sexists and bigots to the public, you risk giving them a free pass at political power.

UPDATE: Laura Gordon has now been selected to succeed Nick Clegg. She already got stuck into holding surgeries for constituents in Sheffield Hallam after Jared O’Mara axed his.