Tim Farron

Tim Farron
MP
Official portrait, 2020
Leader of the Liberal Democrats
In office
16 July 2015 – 20 July 2017
DeputyJo Swinson (2017)
PresidentSal Brinton
Preceded byNick Clegg
Succeeded byVince Cable
President of the Liberal Democrats
In office
1 January 2011 – 1 January 2015
LeaderNick Clegg
Preceded byRos Scott
Succeeded bySal Brinton
Member of Parliament
for Westmorland and Lonsdale
Incumbent
Assumed office
5 May 2005
Preceded byTim Collins
Majority21,472 (43.3%)
Liberal Democrat portfolios
2008–2010,
2017–2019,
2020,
2022–present		Environment, Food and Rural Affairs
2015Foreign and Commonwealth Office
2019–2020Work and Pensions
2019–2020Northern Powerhouse
2019–2022Housing, Communities and Local Government
Personal details
Born
Timothy James Farron

(1970-05-27) 27 May 1970 (age 54)
Preston, Lancashire, England
Political partyLiberal Democrats
Other political
affiliations		Liberal (1986–1988)
Spouse
Rosemary Cantley
​
(m. 2000)​
Children4
Alma materNewcastle University
Signature
Websitetimfarron.co.uk

Timothy James Farron (born 27 May 1970) is a British politician who served as Leader of the Liberal Democrats from 2015 to 2017. He has been the Member of Parliament (MP) for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005 and is the Liberal Democrat spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.[1] Before entering politics, he worked in higher education.[2]

Farron was the president of the Liberal Democrats from 2011 to 2014.[3][4][5] He was the Liberal Democrats' shadow foreign secretary in 2015 under Nick Clegg's leadership and Spokesperson for Housing, Communities and Local Government from 2019 to 2022, with responsibility for the Northern Powerhouse from 2019 to 2020.[6] He served as Spokesperson for Work and Pensions under Jo Swinson from 2019 to 2020.

Early life and education

[edit]

Tim Farron was born on 27 May 1970 in Preston, and was educated at Lostock Hall High School and Runshaw College, Leyland,[7] before going on to Newcastle University, where he gained a BA in Politics in 1992.[8] Farron has described how, in his youth, his bedroom bore pictures of widely differing politicians as the assassinated United States President John F. Kennedy, former Liberal Party leader Jo Grimond, and then–Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher.[9]

From 1987 to 1992, Farron fronted the Preston-based band Tim Farron and the Voyeurs, also known as Fred The Girl.[10] According to Farron, the band was popular amongst Lancashire's youth after a series of highly successful tours. Farron said the band was offered a record deal with Island Records.[11] However, this claim has been countered by former band members instead describing 'Tim Farron and the Voyeurs' as a "fourth rate New Order".[12]

In 1990, he was elected to the National Union of Students' National Executive.[8] The following year, he was elected president of Newcastle University Students' Union, the first Liberal Democrat to hold the position,[8] having joined the Liberal Party at the age of 16.[7] Before his election to Parliament, Farron worked in higher education at Lancaster University from 1992 to 2002[8] and St Martin's College, Ambleside, from 2002 to 2005.[13]

Parliamentary career

[edit]

Positions before 2005

[edit]

Farron contested North West Durham at the 1992 general election, coming third with 14.6% of the vote behind the incumbent Labour Party MP Hilary Armstrong and Conservative candidate Theresa May.[14][15]

He then served on Lancashire County Council from 1993 to 2000 and was also a councillor for Leyland Central ward on South Ribble Borough Council from 1995 to 1999.[16]

Farron stood in South Ribble at the 1997 general election, coming third with 10.6% of the vote behind the Labour candidate David Borrow and the Conservative candidate Robert Atkins.[17]

He stood for the Liberal Democrats in the North West region in the 1999 European Parliament elections.[18]

At the 2001 general election, Farron contested the Westmorland and Lonsdale seat and finished second, reducing the majority of the sitting Conservative MP Tim Collins to 3,167.[19] He then served as a councillor for the Milnthorpe ward on the South Lakeland District Council from 2004 to 2008.[20]

Westmorland and Lonsdale from 2005 win to 2009

[edit]
Farron in 2008

At the 2005 general election, Farron again fought Collins in Westmorland and Lonsdale, and this time won the election by a narrow margin of just 267 votes.[13] He made his maiden speech in Parliament on 25 May 2005.[21] As a new MP, he became a member of the Education and Skills Select committee and was appointed as Youth Affairs Spokesperson for the Liberal Democrats.[7] In 2005 he founded the all-party parliamentary group on hill farming, of which he was still chair as of March 2015.[22][23]

During Menzies Campbell's period as the Liberal Democrat leader, Farron was Campbell's Parliamentary Private Secretary.[7] In 2007 he was made a Liberal Democrat spokesman for Home Affairs.[24]

Farron resigned from the front bench of the Liberal Democrats on 5 March 2008 in protest at the party's abstention from a parliamentary vote on a proposed Conservative referendum on Britain's accession to the Lisbon Treaty. However he later returned to the party's front bench as spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.[25] He is a member of the Beveridge Group within the Liberal Democrats.[26][27]

2010–2015

[edit]

At the 2010 general election, Farron was re-elected, increasing his share of the vote to 60% and increasing his majority to 12,264.[28][29] This result was against the run of the rest of the party, making Westmorland and Lonsdale one of the few Liberal Democrat strongholds.[30]

On 27 May 2010, Farron stood for the position of Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, made vacant by the resignation of Vince Cable. On 9 June, Farron lost the competition to the former party President, Simon Hughes. Hughes won by 20 votes; having had 38 nominations from the parliamentary party, compared to Farron's 18.

Farron in March 2014
Farron the day before the 2017 General Election

On 16 September 2010, Farron stood for the position of President of the Liberal Democrats following Baroness Scott's decision not to seek re-election. He won the election with 53% of the vote, beating fellow candidate Susan Kramer on 47%.[31]

In March 2012, Farron was one of three MPs who signed a letter sent to the Advertising Standards Authority, criticising their recent decision to stop the Christian group "Healing on the Streets of Bath" from making explicit claims that prayer can heal. The letter called for the ASA to provide indisputable scientific evidence that faith healing did not work; Farron subsequently admitted that the letter was not "well-worded" and that he should not have signed it "as it was written".[32]

Farron was re-elected at the 2015 general election with a decreased vote share of 51.5% and a decreased majority of 8,949.[33] After the election, he was considered a favourite to succeed Nick Clegg as Leader of the Liberal Democrats.[34]

Leadership of the Liberal Democrats

[edit]

In May 2015, Farron confirmed his candidacy for the 2015 Liberal Democrats leadership election on BBC Radio 4.[35] On 16 July he won the leadership election with 56.5% of the vote, ahead of Norman Lamb who achieved 43.5%.[36]

Farron's first speech at the September 2015 Liberal Democrat Conference in Bournemouth was praised in the press.[37]

At the 2017 general election, Farron was again re-elected, decreasing his share of the vote to 45.8% and seeing his majority cut to just 777.[38] He stated he would step down as party leader following the election, stating that he had become "torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader".[39] He remained in office until the unopposed election of Vince Cable as party leader.[40][41]

Career after party leadership

[edit]

Farron was again re-elected at the 2019 general election, increasing his share of the vote to 48.9% and increasing his majority to 1,934.[42][43]

At the 2024 general election, Farron was again re-elected with an increased vote share of 62.7% and an increased majority of 21,472.[44] He received 31,061 votes, the highest number of any candidate in the election. [45]

Political positions

[edit]

Among political observers, Farron is widely seen as being of left-leaning political position.[46][47][48] In a September 2016 interview, he identified the Liberal Democrats under his leadership as being centre-left.[49]

Policy as Liberal Democrat leader

[edit]

In August 2015, Farron identified seven campaigning priorities for the Liberal Democrats. These were rural affairs, the EU referendum, mental health, immigration, civil liberties, the green economy, and housing.[50]

Welfare

[edit]

Farron was one of only two Liberal Democrat MPs to vote against the under-occupancy penalty (also known as the bedroom tax) in 2012.[13]

Education

[edit]

In December 2010, he voted against increasing the cap on undergraduate university tuition fees from £3,000 to £9,000.[51] Referring to Nick Clegg's earlier pledge not to raise fees—and the previous long-standing Liberal Democrat policy of abolishing them—he said: "Integrity is important. You must not only keep your word but be seen to keep your word. You can say no."[52]

Migration

[edit]

He was the first senior British politician to back the EU proposal for a quota to take in refugees during the Mediterranean crisis. He called for the UK to accept up to 60,000 non-EU refugees to help with the influx. He attended the Refugee solidarity march in London in September 2015 and gave the opening speech.[13] In the 2016 Liberal Democrat Spring Conference, Farron accused the government of cowardice and heartlessness over their current refugee policy.[53]

Representation of women and minorities

[edit]

Farron said in June 2015 that Lib Dem members of parliament were "too male and too pale", so at least half of the party's target seats would be given women candidates and 10 per cent would have black, Asian, and minority ethnic (BAME) candidates.[54]

Farron's appointment of party spokespeople was applauded for its diversity, with twelve women and ten men given such positions. Women also took high-ranking roles, such as the defence and economics portfolios.[13][55]

LGBT rights

[edit]

In 2007, he voted against the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations, which for the first time imposed a general restriction on businesses discriminating against people on the grounds of sexual orientation.[56] In May 2015, regarding a court ruling which found that a Belfast bakery had acted unlawfully in refusing to carry out an order for a cake in support of gay marriage, Farron said that "it's a shame it ended up in court" and "it's important that you stand up for people's rights to have their conscience," but "if you’re providing a service, that’s the key thing – you need to do so without prejudice, without discrimination against those who come through your door."[57]

He voted in favour of allowing marriage between two people of same sex at the second reading of the 2013 Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, but he voted not to timetable the debate on the Bill, which would have made it much more difficult to pass had the House of Commons agreed with his position,[58] over concerns of the impact the "spousal veto" could have on trans people.[59] He was absent for the vote for gay marriage on the third reading of the Bill.[60]

In 2014, he voted in favour of extending the right to same sex marriage to Armed Forces personnel outside the United Kingdom.[61] He held a 90.4% rating on the issue of same sex marriage in September 2015, and 83.9% in February 2023, according to the website Public Whip.[61]

During an interview in 2015 with Cathy Newman for Channel 4 News, following his election as leader, Farron avoided a question from Newman on his personal beliefs regarding gay sex, saying that his "views on personal morality [did not] matter", adding that to "understand Christianity is to understand that we are all sinners".[62] In the build-up to the 2017 General Election he repeated similar lines in another Channel 4 News television interview, before Nigel Evans asked him in Parliament whether he thought being gay was a sin, to which he replied, "I do not" and said that he was "very proud" to have supported his party's efforts to introduce gay marriage.[63] Later, in a BBC interview, he further stated that he did not believe "gay sex" was a sin.[64] Despite this, Lord Paddick resigned from his post as home affairs spokesperson in June 2017 "over concerns about the leader's views on various issues".[65] In 2018, Farron expressed regret over his previous assertions that he did not consider homosexual sex to be sinful, saying he felt under pressure from his party which led him to "foolishly and wrongly" make a statement "that was not right".[66]

Farron's handling of questions regarding LGBT rights and the sinfulness of homosexuality have been heavily criticised by LGBT+ Liberal Democrats,[67][68] as has his continued association with anti-gay evangelical groups, which has been seen as a "lack of care" to the LGBT community.[69] Former head of the LGBT+ Liberal Democrats, Chris Cooke, made unsubstantiated complaints to the party about Farron's personal conduct when "drunk", and admitted that he "made up a story to cause trouble" following his suspension over Twitter comments directed at Conservative MP Anna Soubry.[70]

European Union

[edit]

Despite describing himself as "a bit of a Eurosceptic",[71] Farron strongly supported Britain's membership of the European Union,[72] but criticised David Cameron's renegotiation as "about appealing to careerist Tory MPs, who were selected by Europhobic party members, to persuade them to vote to remain".[73]

In June 2016, Farron stated following the United Kingdom European Union membership referendum in which 51.89% of the voters voted to leave the EU that if the Liberal Democrats were elected in the next parliamentary election, they would not follow through with triggering Article 50 of the Treaty on European Union and leaving the EU but would instead keep the UK in the European Union.[74]

In 2017, Farron spoke out against the government's proposed plan to return to the traditional blue British passport. He criticised the move publicly as part of "ever increasing list of the cost of Brexit" and held the position that the plan was "a completely superficial expenditure which could have been spent on our hospitals and our schools."[75]

Saudi Arabia

[edit]

Farron has criticised Britain's close ties with Saudi Arabia. In 2015 he said: "It is time to shine a light onto the shady corners of our relationship with Saudi Arabia. It is time we stood up for civil liberties, human rights and not turn a blind eye because the House of Saud are our 'allies'."[76]

Cannabis regulation

[edit]

He supports the complete legalisation of marijuana for both medical and recreational purpose, saying in 2016: "I personally believe the war on drugs is over. We must move from making this a legal issue to one of health."[77]

Personal life

[edit]

Farron is a lifelong non-conformist Protestant and says that "becoming a Christian at the age of eighteen [was] the most massive choice I have made."[78] He is a vegetarian,[79][80] and a lifelong fan of Blackburn Rovers.[81] He married his wife Rosie in 1999.[82] In January 2018 he won an edition of Celebrity Mastermind, with Blackburn Rovers as his specialist subject.[83]

In 2019 he published an autobiography A Better Ambition: Confessions of a Faithful Liberal describing his life as a Christian and a Liberal.[84]

Farron completed the 2021 London Marathon in a time of 4 h 44 min 44 s,[85] raising funds for the Brathay Trust.[86]

Selected publications

[edit]
  • Farron, Tim (2019). A Better Ambition: Confessions of a Faithful Liberal. SPCK. ISBN 978-0281083589.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ "Tim Farron". www.libdems.org.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  2. ^ "24 things you didn't know about Tim Farron - Telegraph". 12 May 2018. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 17 November 2020.
  3. ^ Duffett, Helen (13 November 2010). "Lib Dem Presidential Contest: Result". Lib Dem Voice. Archived from the original on 15 November 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  4. ^ "Cambridgeshire campaigner becomes new President of the Liberal Democrats". itv.com. 29 November 2014.
  5. ^ "Sal Brinton elected as new Liberal Democrat Party President". www.libedems.org.uk. Archived from the original on 1 January 2017. Retrieved 31 December 2016.
  6. ^ Liberal Democrat Spokespeople, 12 October 2017, archived from the original on 10 February 2019, retrieved 11 February 2019
  7. ^ a b c d Prince, Rosa (16 July 2015). "Tim Farron: the Christian Lefty on course to be elected Liberal Democrat leader". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 April 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  8. ^ a b c d Perraudin, Frances (16 July 2015). "Tim Farron profile: who is the new Liberal Democrat leader?". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 12 March 2017. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  9. ^ Horton, Helena (8 May 2017). "Tim Farron admits he had a poster of Margaret Thatcher on his wall as a teenager". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 13 May 2017. Retrieved 31 May 2017. I had pictures of strange sort of leftwing politicians.
  10. ^ Whitehead, Tom (16 July 2015). "Tim Farron: pop frontman days means he fears no rejection". The Telegraph. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  11. ^ Mikey, Smith (1 June 2015). "Lib Dem Tim Farron's 80s pop star secret revealed". The Mirror. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  12. ^ Paul, Bignell (31 May 2015). "Tim Farron: Lib Dem leadership contender - and ex-rock star in a 'fourth-rate New Order'". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 February 2019. Retrieved 23 February 2019.
  13. ^ a b c d e Leet, Dillon (16 July 2015). "24 things you didn't know about Tim Farron". The Daily Telegraph. Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  14. ^ "Election Data 1992". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 15 October 2011. Retrieved 18 October 2015.
  15. ^ "Politics Resources". Election 1992. Politics Resources. 9 April 1992. Archived from the original on 24 July 2011. Retrieved 6 December 2010.
  16. ^ "South Ribble Borough Council Election Results 1973–2011" (PDF). The Elections Centre. Archived (PDF) from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  17. ^ "Ribble South". Political Science Resources. Archived from the original on 4 March 2016. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  18. ^ "1999 Election Candidates". UK Office of the European Parliament. Archived from the original on 18 May 2009. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  19. ^ "Westmorland and Lonsdale". Vote 2001. BBC News. Archived from the original on 19 November 2015. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  20. ^ "South Lakeland District Council Elections – 10 June 2004: Election Results". South Lakeland District Council. Archived from the original on 21 September 2004. Retrieved 11 February 2017. Follow link "Table of Election Results in South Lakeland" for results.
  21. ^ Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale (25 May 2005). "The Economy and Welfare Reform". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. col. 752–755. Archived from the original on 28 October 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  22. ^ Davies, Isabel (26 July 2005). "MPs establish new Parliamentary group on hill farming". Farmers Weekly. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  23. ^ "Hill Farming". Register Of All-Party Groups [as at 30 March 2015]. House of Commons. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  24. ^ "FARRON, Tim". The House of Commons. Parliamentary Yearbook. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  25. ^ "MP Tim Farron resigns from Lib Dem frontbench". The Westmorland Gazette. 5 March 2008. Archived from the original on 14 June 2011. Retrieved 25 July 2008.
  26. ^ "About us". The Beveridge Group. 28 October 2007. Archived from the original on 5 July 2008.
  27. ^ Jardine, Christine (15 May 2015). "Tim Farron can lead Lib Dems". The Scotsman. Archived from the original on 12 February 2017. Retrieved 11 February 2017.
  28. ^ "Election Data 2010". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 26 July 2013. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  29. ^ Westmorland and Lonsdale Conservatives, Westmorland and Lonsdale Conservatives
  30. ^ "Election 2010 – Constituency – Westmorland & Lonsdale". BBC News. 7 May 2010. Archived from the original on 23 August 2017. Retrieved 9 May 2010.
  31. ^ "Tim Farron elected as Lib Dem president". BBC News. 13 November 2010. Archived from the original on 14 November 2010. Retrieved 13 November 2010.
  32. ^ "Tim Farron: 'Prayer Can Heal' Letter Was A Mistake". Huffington Post UK. 29 March 2012. Archived from the original on 31 March 2012. Retrieved 30 March 2012.
  33. ^ "Election Data 2015". Electoral Calculus. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015.
  34. ^ Parker, George; Stacey, Kiran (8 May 2015). "Nick Clegg resigns as Liberal Democrats suffer electoral catastrophe". Financial Times. Archived from the original on 11 December 2022. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  35. ^ "Liberal Democrat leadership: Tim Farron confirms his bid". BBC News. 14 May 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 14 May 2015.
  36. ^ Mayhew, Bess (16 July 2015). "Tim Farron elected as Leader of the Liberal Democrats". Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 17 July 2015. Retrieved 16 July 2015.
  37. ^ White, Michael (20 September 2015). "Tim Farron plays to strengths with gaffe-free performance at Lib Dem party conference". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 17 December 2016.
  38. ^ "UK Parliamentary election: Westmorland & Lonsdale constituency - Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll" (PDF). South Lakeland District Council. 11 May 2017. Retrieved 8 June 2017.
  39. ^ "Tim Farron quits as Lib Dem leader". BBC News. 14 June 2017. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 14 June 2017.
  40. ^ "Tim Farron quits as Lib Dem leader". BBC News. 14 June 2017. Archived from the original on 14 June 2017. Retrieved 22 June 2018.
  41. ^ Elgot, Jessica; Stewart, Heather (14 June 2017). "Tim Farron quits as Lib Dem leader". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 June 2017. Retrieved 18 June 2017.
  42. ^ "Statement of Persons Nominated and Notice of Poll" (PDF). southlakeland.gov.uk. South Lakeland Council. Retrieved 15 November 2019.
  43. ^ "Westmorland & Lonsdale parliamentary constituency - Election 2019". Retrieved 16 December 2019.
  44. ^ "Westmorland & Lonsdale - 2024 UK General Election Results". Bloomberg.com. Retrieved 30 July 2024.
  45. ^ "HoC-GE2024-results-by-candidate". commonslibrary.parliament.uk. House of Commons Library. Retrieved 24 September 2024.
  46. ^ Morris, Nigel (8 May 2015). "Nick Clegg resigns: Lib Dems rush to replace leader with Tim Farron and Norman Lamb as potential candidates". The Independent. Archived from the original on 12 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  47. ^ Perraudin, Frances (24 March 2015). "Tim Farron not a 'credible leader' for Lib Dems, says Vince Cable". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  48. ^ Eaton, George (27 February 2015). "Exclusive: Tim Farron: Lib Dems will have to back Labour if they win more seats than the Tories". New Statesman. Archived from the original on 19 May 2015. Retrieved 13 May 2015.
  49. ^ Walker, Jonathan (10 September 2016). "Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron explains how his party will bounce back in the West Midlands". Birmingham Mail. Archived from the original on 11 September 2016. Retrieved 11 September 2016.
  50. ^ May, Josh (7 August 2015). "Tim Farron unveils Lib Dem campaigning priorities". Politics Home. Archived from the original on 22 August 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  51. ^ "Tuition fees: How Liberal Democrat MPs voted". BBC News. 9 December 2010. Archived from the original on 4 May 2015. Retrieved 11 May 2015.
  52. ^ "Tory coalition will tarnish Lib Dems for a generation, Tim Farron warns". The Guardian. 14 March 2015. Archived from the original on 18 May 2015. Retrieved 9 May 2015.
  53. ^ Liberal Democrats (13 March 2016). "Spring Conference York – Sunday". YouTube. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  54. ^ Perraudin, Frances (5 June 2015). "Tim Farron echoes Nick Clegg by saying Lib Dems 'too male and too pale'". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 2 February 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  55. ^ Mayhew, Bess (29 July 2015). "New Lib Dem spokespeople announced". Liberal Democrats. Archived from the original on 30 November 2015. Retrieved 8 December 2015.
  56. ^ "Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 19 March 2007. col. 647. Archived from the original on 5 January 2018. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  57. ^ "BBC Question Time panel criticises 'gay cake' row bakery". PinkNews. 22 May 2015. Archived from the original on 23 July 2015. Retrieved 21 July 2015.
  58. ^ "Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 5 February 2013. col. 231. Archived from the original on 15 November 2014. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  59. ^ "An Open Letter On The Subject Of Tim Farron's 'Homophobia'". The Huffington Post. 19 April 2017. Archived from the original on 24 April 2017. Retrieved 23 April 2017.
  60. ^ "Marriage (Same Sex Couples) Bill, Third Reading due to continued concerns about the spousal veto". Parliamentary Debates (Hansard). House of Commons. 21 May 2013. col. 1152. Archived from the original on 19 August 2017. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  61. ^ a b "Tim Farron MP, Westmorland and Lonsdale". The Public Whip. Archived from the original on 24 September 2015. Retrieved 21 February 2023.
  62. ^ Wintour, Patrick (18 July 2015). "Tim Farron avoids saying whether he considers gay sex as a sin". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 11 May 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  63. ^ Sharman, John (20 April 2017). "Tim Farron: I do not think being gay is a sin". Independent. Archived from the original on 20 April 2017. Retrieved 21 April 2017.
  64. ^ Garnier, Eleanor (25 April 2017). "'I don't think gay sex is a sin' says Tim Farron - BBC News - YouTube". YouTube. Archived from the original on 26 September 2017. Retrieved 23 February 2018.
  65. ^ Elgot, Jessica (14 June 2017). "Lib Dem peer resigns over Farron's views on homosexuality". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 20 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  66. ^ Mason, Rowena (10 January 2018). "Tim Farron says he regrets saying gay sex is not a sin". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 10 January 2018. Retrieved 10 January 2018.
  67. ^ Mason, Chris (18 July 2015). "Tim Farron's religious convictions leave some Lib Dems fretting". BBC News. Archived from the original on 8 November 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  68. ^ Braidwood, Ella (18 September 2018). "Lib Dems mock Tim Farron's views on gay sex in singalong". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  69. ^ Duffy, Nick (10 May 2018). "Tim Farron faces Lib Dem anger over event criticising 'gay lobby'". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  70. ^ Mortimer, Caroline (18 June 2017). "Tim Farron subject of false allegations by former Lib Dem LGBT activist". The Independent. Archived from the original on 3 October 2018. Retrieved 3 October 2018.
  71. ^ "Farron says he is 'bit of a Eurosceptic'". BBC News. 30 April 2017. Archived from the original on 4 October 2018. Retrieved 4 October 2018.
  72. ^ May, Josh (13 October 2015). "Tim Farron challenges 'pathetic' Corbyn and Cameron on EU stance". Politics Home. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 16 January 2016.
  73. ^ Snowdon, Kathryn (27 February 2016). "Tim Farron Really Thinks The UK Should Stay In The EU". The Huffington Post UK. Archived from the original on 14 March 2016. Retrieved 14 March 2016.
  74. ^ Stone, Jon (25 June 2016). "Liberal Democrats pledge to ignore referendum result and keep Britain in the EU". The Independent. Archived from the original on 26 June 2016. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  75. ^ "UK passports could resort to traditional blue colour post Brexit as redesign due in 2019". Sunday Herald. 2 April 2017. Archived from the original on 3 April 2017. Retrieved 4 April 2017.
  76. ^ Wright, Oliver (22 December 2015). "UK Government attempting to keep details of secret security pact with Saudi Arabia hidden from public". The Independent. Archived from the original on 18 September 2017. Retrieved 16 September 2017.
  77. ^ Watt, Nicholas (11 February 2016). "Tim Farron calls for legalisation of cannabis for recreational use". The Guardian. Archived from the original on 17 March 2016. Retrieved 19 March 2016.
  78. ^ Monro, Johnny (15 May 2015). "Could Tim Farron finally quash the myth that Christianity and Liberalism don't mix?". Christian Today. Archived from the original on 9 September 2015. Retrieved 15 September 2015.
  79. ^ "Tim Farron on Twitter". Archived from the original on 22 April 2017. Retrieved 22 April 2017.
  80. ^ Leet, Dillon (16 July 2015). "24 things you didn't know about Tim Farron". Archived from the original on 12 May 2018. Retrieved 5 April 2018.
  81. ^ Wheeler, Brian (14 June 2017). "The Tim Farron story". BBC News.
  82. ^ https://twitter.com/timfarron/status/1739041459657912365 [bare URL]
  83. ^ "Tim Farron wins £3,000 for Kendal charity with Celebrity Mastermind win". The Westmorland Gazette. 4 January 2018. Archived from the original on 16 January 2019. Retrieved 16 January 2019.
  84. ^ Chandler, Mark (2 July 2019). "SPCK to publish 'gripping' Tim Farron memoir on politics and faith". The Bookseller. Archived from the original on 1 September 2019. Retrieved 1 September 2019.
  85. ^ "Participant details: Tim Farron". Virgin Money London Marathon 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.
  86. ^ "Tim Farron to tackle the London Marathon and fundraise for our Kendal Youth Project". Brathay Trust. 4 October 2021. Retrieved 4 October 2021.

Further reading

[edit]
[edit]
Wikiquote has quotations related to Tim Farron.
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Tim Farron.
Parliament of the United Kingdom
Preceded by Member of Parliament
for Westmorland and Lonsdale
2005–present 		Incumbent
Party political offices
Preceded by President of the Liberal Democrats
2011–2015 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Leader of the Liberal Democrats
2015–2017 		Succeeded by
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Tim_Farron&oldid=1261220949"