Lib Dem MP resigns his party whip to give backing to Prime Minister
STEPHEN LLOYD, the Liberal Democrat MP, has resigned his party’s whip to back Theresa May’s Brexit deal.
The MP for Eastbourne cited irreconcilable differences between keeping his promise to his constituents to respect the referendum result and his party’s official policy to oppose Brexit.
He said he had pledged during the 2017 election not only to back the Withdrawal Agreement but also to oppose calls for a second referendum, a key Lib Dem policy. His departure reduces the number of his party’s MPS under a Lib Dem whip in the Commons to 11.
In his resignation letter to Alistair Carmichael, his chief whip, he wrote: “I appreciate me voting this way and not supporting a People’s Vote are counter to the Liberal Democrats’ for- mal position. I have decided the only honourable thing for me to do is to resign the party whip in Parliament.”
Mr Lloyd, who was the Lib Dem spokesman for work and pensions, said he would continue to “fight hard for liberal values” and remain a member of the party. He was first elected in 2010, lost his Eastbourne seat in the 2015 general election, and voted Remain in the 2016 referendum in contrast to his former constituency, which voted to leave the EU by 57 per cent to 43. He regained his seat in the 2017 election.
Mr Carmichael replied to Mr Lloyd’s letter, stating: “It is impossible to reconcile your position with that of the party. I understand the reasons why you feel it necessary to take this step and know the strength of your conviction that this is a necessary thing for you to do. With regret, therefore, I accept your resignation.”