LIB-DEM chief executive Lord Rennard of Wavertree is to quit for “family and health reasons”.

The peer, a key electoral strategist, announced he would be stepping down in the autumn.

Lord Rennard, a former Blue Coat schoolboy and close friend of Liverpool Lord Mayor Mike Storey, has been facing criticism over his expenses claims, but a party spokeswoman insisted there was no link to his departure.

In a letter to Lib-Dem members, Lord Rennard said he had discussed the move with party leader Nick Clegg “some time ago''.

“I want to be able to work more flexibly in future whilst of course continuing to help our party advance,” he wrote.

“I believe that I will be better able to do so without the administrative burdens of being chief executive and running the party’s day-to-day organisation.”

The peer said he wanted to have “something of a more normal life outside the Westminster bubble” with his retired wife, Ann.

He went on: “This has become more important to me as I have struggled to maintain good diabetic control with the rigours of a very demanding lifestyle. This has proved to be increasingly difficult while carrying out the role of chief executive at HQ and around the country.”

The peer has been criticised for claiming more than £40,000 for a second home, despite owning a flat less than two miles from Westminster.