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They were asked about what they had heard about his behaviour over the decades.

No Liberal Democrat politician admitted to knowing anything about the allegations sexual abuse before 2012, Mr Clegg said.

The Liberal Democrat leader said his party had also checked through old documents relating to the Liberal party that are stored in a warehouse outside London but found no evidence.

Mr Clegg, who said he had met Smith who was knighted in 1988, repeated his assertion that it was "absurd" to suggest he had known anything about the allegations before 2012.

He added that any investigation was a matter for the police and encouraged them to reopen cases relating to Sir Cyril from decades ago.

The Deputy Prime Minister said that he would support attempts to strip Smith of his knighthood following the revelations.

Smith was nominated for the honour by Lord Steel, the former Lib Dem leader. Speaking on LBC radio Mr Clegg said: "It is not my decision, it is this committee that decides.

"My understanding is that these honours kind of die when the person dies, so it is not something that is there to be taken away, but I am as repulsed as anybody.

"The actions that Simon Danczuk has documented, that need to be looked at, are as appalling to me as anybody else. the suggestion that I somehow knew something and didn't act on it is simply not the case."

Mr Danczuk, the Labour MP who has written a book about Smith's abuses, said the Deputy Prime Minister was failing in his duty to act and must carry out a full activity into who knew about the MPs activities.

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Sir Cyril Smith should be stripped of his knighthood, says Nick Clegg

Democrat Alex Sink has decided not to run for Congress this fall, a move that could benefit newly elected Republican U.S. Rep. David Jolly.

Sink told the Tampa Bay Times on Tuesday that she made a "very personal" choice against running after weighing several factors.

"I was certainly all in for the special election and at this point in time I just made the decision that I did not want to run again."

Jolly narrowly defeated Sink in the nationally watched and costly March 11 special election held after Republican U.S. Rep. C.W. Bill Young's death in October.

Although Sink lost, she was still considered a strong candidate for the fall, given her wide name recognition and proven fundraising ability. Her exit leaves it unclear which Democrat will step in to run against Jolly.

Jessica Ehrlich, who previously ran for the seat against Young but bowed out of the race earlier to make room for Sink, did not return calls Tuesday. Earlier this week, the Rev. Manuel Sykes of St. Petersburg, a Democrat, said he was considering a bid. The deadline to file is May 2.

"I have great respect for Alex," Jolly said in a statement. "I'm sure it was a difficult decision and I wish her the very best. I look forward to continuing my work in Congress on behalf our Pinellas community."

Sink said Democratic officials showed her an analysis of election trends and "the numbers actually looked better than I anticipated."

She said 50,000 more people may vote in the fall, and "there will be many more independents and they will probably be a little younger."

Those are some of the reasons she believes a Democratic candidate can win in the fall, even though she is the candidate who likely would have commanded the biggest name recognition and Jolly will have an incumbent's advantage.

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Alex Sink won't challenge David Jolly for District13 seat in November

ATLANTA (AP) A spokesman for Democrat Michelle Nunn says she'll report about $2.4 million in contributions, her strongest fundraising quarter to date in her bid for Georgia's open U.S. Senate seat.

Seven Republicans and four Democrats are competing in the May 20 primary. The race is being closely watched this year as Republicans seek a majority in the Senate.

A Nunn spokesman says 20,000 donors have contributed to the campaign in eight months. Rep. Jack Kingston has been leading the GOP field in fundraising. He is expected to report about $1.1 million in contributions, with about $2.1 million in the bank.

Nunn's cash on hand wasn't immediately available. Other Republicans in the race are Reps. Paul Broun and Phil Gingrey, former Secretary of State Karen Handel and ex-Dollar General CEO David Perdue.

2014 Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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Democrat Nunn to report $2.4M in Ga. Sen. race

BANGKOK, April 14 The opposition Democrat Party today called on Thailand's ruling Pheu Thai Party to assign a fully-authorised member to attend a discussion on the upcoming general election, initiated by the Election Commission (EC).

Democrat spokesman Chavanond Indrakomalsut said party leader Abhisit Vejjajiva will join the meeting, scheduled for next Tuesday, if the Pheu Thai leader, or a party executive with full power, also attends.

He also called for a live broadcast of the forum so people will be aware of politicians sincerity towards the nationwide polls.

The EC has invited all political parties to dialogue on preparations for the new general election after the Feb 2 nationwide balloting was annulled by the Constitution Court.

Mr Chavanond said the political crisis was not related to the Democrats decision not to contest in the Feb 2 election, as charged by the Pheu Thai Party.

He said the ruling partys behaviour, including its disrespect to the monarch and corruption, during the two-year administration has deteriorated the countrys political atmosphere.

Pheu Thai deputy spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said former prime minister Thaksin Shinawatra has been the victim of attacks by the opposition which has repeatedly lost in general elections but wanted to rule the country through an unconventional procedure.

He was referring to a recent statement by Mr Thaksin, extending good wishes to the Thai people to mark Songkran, the Thai New Year.

Mr Thaksin called on the Thai people to end their conflicts and look to the future, said Mr Anusorn who insisted that the ousted premiers Songkran statement did not mean to attack the Democrat Party.

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Pattaya Mail

By Mark Murray

NBC News confirms that Democrat Alex Sink won't wage a rematch against Rep. David Jolly, R-Fla., in November, according to a Democrat with knowledge of Sink's decision.

Last month, Jolly narrowly defeated Sink in a closely watched special election to fill the congressional seat vacated by the late Rep. Bill Young, R-Fla.

While the district is competitive -- Obama won it in 2012 -- Sink's decision means that Jolly has an easier path to holding on to the congressional seat in the general election.

Top Democrats said after Sink's special election defeat that they hoped she would run against against Jolly in November.

"We feel good about our prospects here," DCCC chairman Steve Israel said on MSNBC's The Daily Rundown last month. "And I hope that she does run again, because she did an extraordinary job."

First published April 15 2014, 7:45 AM

Mark Murray is the Senior Political Editor at NBC News, where he covers politics for the network, writes and edits its popular First Read blog, and appears daily on MSNBC and Washington DCs NBC affiliate to discuss the latest political news.

He also serves as a key manager of NBCs political coverage, giving direction to the networks reporters and producers.

Before joining NBC News in 2003, Murray spent five years as a reporter at National Journal. And he has written freelance articles published in the New York Times (Sunday op-ed page), the Atlantic Monthly, the Washington Monthly, Washingtonian magazine, and Washington City Paper.

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Sink Won't Seek Florida House Seat Rematch