Farron: I can’t be a faithful Christian and a leader
He quits top job with swipe at critics
TIM Farron quit as Liberal Democrat leader to “remain faithful to Christ” as he took a swipe at questions on his faith.
The committed Christian bowed out in a surprise statement last night, after facing heavy criticism in the election campaign of his views on homosexuality.
He sparked anger after he was asked several times if gay sex was a sin, before eventually stating it wasn’t. Hours before he quit, Lib Dem peer Brian Paddick, who was Britain’s most senior openly gay officer in the Met Police, resigned as Home Affairs spokesman over Mr Farron’s “views”.
In a speech to staff at the party’s London HQ, Mr Farron said: “I’ve been torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader.”
Workers were called to the meeting at 6pm and given the shock news. Mr Farron said: “I’m a liberal, so I’m passionate about defending the rights of people who believe different things. But I seem to have been the subject of suspicion because of what I believe. If so, we are kidding ourselves if we think we live in a tolerant society.” Mr Farron became leader after his party’s disastrous 2015 poll result when voters punished it for going into coalition with the Tories. But the party did not recover in last week’s general election, gaining just three seats.
Mr Farron barely clung on to his seat in Westmorland and Lonsdale, in Cumbria, as his majority of almost 9,000 was slashed to 777. Among those tipped as possible successors last night were former ministers Jo Swinson, Ed Davey and Vince Cable, who all won their seats back last week.