27 Facts About Tim Farron

Tim Farron has been Member of Parliament for Westmorland and Lonsdale since 2005 and is currently the Liberal Democrat Spokesperson for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.

Tim Farron was the Liberal Democrats' Shadow Foreign Secretary in 2015 under Nick Clegg's leadership.

Tim Farron served as Spokesperson for Work and Pensions under Jo Swinson from 2019 to 2020.

Tim Farron was born in Preston, Lancashire, and educated at Lostock Hall High School and Runshaw College, Leyland, before going on to Newcastle University, where he gained a BA in Politics in 1992.

Tim Farron said the band was offered a record deal with Island Records.

Tim Farron contested North West Durham at the 1992 general election, where he finished in third place, behind the sitting Labour Party MP Hilary Armstrong and Conservative Party candidate Theresa May He then served on Lancashire County Council from 1993 to 2000 and was a councillor for Leyland Central ward on South Ribble Borough Council from 1995 to 1999.

Tim Farron then served as a councillor for the Milnthorpe ward on the South Lakeland District Council from 2004 to 2008.

At the 2005 general election, Farron again fought Collins in Westmorland and Lonsdale, and this time won this election by a narrow margin of just 267 votes.

Tim Farron made his maiden speech in Parliament on 25 May 2005.

Tim 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.

Tim Farron is a member of the Beveridge Group within the Liberal Democrats.

On 27 May 2010, Tim Farron stood for the position of Deputy Leader of the Liberal Democrats, made vacant by the resignation of Vince Cable.

On 16 September 2010, Tim Farron stood for the position of President of the Liberal Democrats following Baroness Scott's decision not to seek re-election.

In March 2012, Tim 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; Tim Farron subsequently admitted that the letter was not "well-worded" and that he should not have signed it "as it was written".

Tim Farron was one of only eight Liberal Democrats elected nationwide at the 2015 general election.

Tim Farron was considered a favourite to succeed Nick Clegg as Leader of the Liberal Democrats.

In May 2015, Tim Farron confirmed his bid for the Liberal Democrat leadership on BBC Radio 4.

Tim Farron 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".

Tim Farron remained in office until the unopposed election of Vince Cable as party leader.

Tim Farron was one of only two Liberal Democrat MPs to vote against the under-occupancy penalty in 2012.

Tim Farron was the first senior British politician to back the EU proposal for a quota to take in refugees during the Mediterranean crisis.

Tim Farron called for the UK to accept up to 60,000 non-EU refugees to help with the influx.

Tim Farron attended the Refugee solidarity march in London in September 2015 and gave the opening speech.

Tim Farron was absent for the vote for gay marriage on the third reading of the Bill.

Tim Farron's handling of questions regarding LGBT rights and the sinfulness of homosexuality have been heavily criticised by LGBT+ Liberal Democrats, as has his continued association with anti-gay evangelical groups, which has been seen as a "lack of care" to the LGBT community.

In 2017, Tim Farron spoke out against the government's proposed plan to return to the traditional blue British passport.