Statement on Tim Farron's resignation

We were very sorry to learn of Tim Farron's resignation as leader of the party on Wednesday.

Tim has had remarkable success in building the party locally, and doubling the party's membership in just two years. The General Election result not only boosted our strength at Westminster but also re-established us as the third party in UK politics (with the increased radio and TV exposure that this will bring).

We believe Tim could have achieved considerably more, given time.

It is deeply unfortunate that his resignation has been driven by issues relating to his religious beliefs.

Tim has maintained throughout that what matters is not his personal religious beliefs but his actions, as demonstrated by his consistent support on LGBT+ issues in particular.

We absolutely endorse this position.

We believe that Tim's record should not have given any liberal secularist cause for concern. His voting record on LGBT+ issues has been strong and positive; and as party leader he has gone well beyond this, regularly and vocally highlighting our party's proud record on LGBT+ rights.

We should like to thank Tim for his all-too-brief leadership, and we hope that he will remain a major contributor to our party's future success.