Religious liberals
Posted: Thu Jun 15, 2017 3:31 am
Tim Farron has said he is to step down as leader of the Liberal Democrats, less than a week after the election.
In a statement, he said he was "torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader".
He said he should have dealt "more wisely" with questions relating to his faith during the election campaign, including his views on gay sex.
Possible successors include former ministers Sir Vince Cable, Jo Swinson, Sir Ed Davey and Norman Lamb.
Church leaders praised Mr Farron. The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby said he was "honourable and decent".
The acting Bishop of London, Pete Broadbent, said "no-one should have to choose between their faith and politics" and it was "deeply regrettable" he felt the need to quit.
In a hastily-arranged statement, and surrounded by his close colleagues, Mr Farron insisted his decision to step down was voluntary and that he retained the support of his party, which he had been proud to lead for nearly two years.
But he said he could no longer reconcile his strong Christian faith with his responsibilities as leader of a liberal party.
"The consequences of the focus on my faith is that I have found myself torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader," he said.
"A better, wiser person may have been able to deal with this more successfully, to remain faithful to Christ while leading a political party in the current environment.
"To be a leader, particularly of a progressive liberal party in 2017 and to live as a committed Christian and to hold faithful to the Bible's teaching has felt impossible for me."
