Tim Farron

Tim Farron is former leader of the Liberal Democrats, from 2011 to 2014. He joined the Liberal Party at the age of 16. Studying politics at Newcastle, he became president of Newcastle University Union Society. Farron first stood for MP aged 21, unsuccessfully, later becoming a councillor on Lancashire County Council whilst working in higher education. In the Commons, he became shadow spokesperson for a range of posts for his party. During the coalition government, he was shadow foreign secretary and became Liberal Democrat president. In this role he became popular with the grassroots and was seen as a prominent member of the left of the party, choosing to vote against several measures that the coalition were implementing, most notably the trebling of tuition fees.. As leader, he oversaw a growth in the party’s membership and called for a second referendum on Brexit. Farron resigned as leader shortly after the 2017 general election, in which the Liberal Democrat campaign was held back by the issue of Farron’s views on gay sex (Farron is a Christian). He is currently the Liberal Democrat spokesperson on food and rural affairs.