Tim Farron poised to launch bid for Lib Dem leadership
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Version 0 of 1. Tim Farron is expected on Thursday morning to formally announce his plans to run for the leadership of the Liberal Democrat party. Following Nick Clegg’s resignation, the Lib Dems are seeking to choose a new leader by mid-July in a contest expected to be a head-to-head between Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, and Norman Lamb, MP for North Norfolk and a former care minister, who confirmed his intention to run on Monday. To get on the ballot, a candidate must have the endorsement of 200 members from 20 local party organisations as well as 10% of the parliamentary party, which amounts to needing the support of less than one of the eight remaining Lib Dem MPs. The membership will cast their ballot under an alternative vote system and the winner will be announced on 16 July. Last week saw the party’s worst election result since it was formed in 1988. The party held only eight of its 56 seats, leading to the resignation of Clegg, the former deputy prime minister, the following day. Farron, a former party president and key figurehead on the left of the Lib Dems, is thought to be the frontrunner to take the top job owing to his popularity with grassroots activists. He won 52% of the vote in his constituency in last week’s general election and was a vocal opponent of the coalition’s tripling of tuition fees. Lamb, a former employment lawyer, is more aligned with the politics of the coalition, having served as minister for care and support. He is considered a centrist and served as parliamentary private secretary to Clegg from May 2010 to February 2012. Writing for the blog Liberal Democrat Voice shortly after confirming that he would stand for the leadership, Lamb said: “I am my own person, a conviction politician. I am impatient to tackle injustice.” “In a world where many of our fellow citizens are powerless and disenfranchised it is critical now that we define more clearly what modern Liberalism means in these terms,” he wrote. Tom Brake, the Lib Dem MP for Carshalton and Wallington, told the Sutton Guardian on Monday that he would be backing Lamb’s leadership bid: “The two I expect to announce that they are running are Tim Farron and Norman Lamb, but I will be supporting Norman for the leadership. I think he will be a good leader and will be able to begin restructuring the party.” In a joint statement on Monday, the leaders of the Welsh and Scottish wings of the Liberal Democrats, Kirsty Williams and Willie Rennie, described the results of Thursday’s general election as devastating and urged Farron to stand to replace Clegg. “Our pain is eased by the knowledge that our liberal gains in government will endure,” they said. “Despite our loss, our party remains optimistic, hopeful and confident about what we can achieve on behalf of Britain. “However, we now have to earn the right to be listened to again. To move forward, we need a fresh start. With that in mind, we call on Tim Farron to stand to be our next federal leader. We believe he is the right person to rebuild our party, inspire and lead us into next year’s election campaigns. We will wholeheartedly support him if he decides to put himself forward.” |