THEGAYUK

Tag: Tim Farron

The latest from Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats.

  • Actually, it seems Tim Farron does think gay sex is a sin

    Tim Farron misled the British people on his views on homosexuality – can he ever be trusted again?

    Former Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron, who was asked repeatedly during the General Election 2017 whether he thought gay sex was a sin or not has revealed that he actually regrets some of the things he said during the GE2017.

    Farron stepped down as the party’s leader shortly after the results of the General Election were announced.

    Today during an interview with Premier Christian Radio the MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale said that he had felt under pressure to mislead the public on his true thoughts about the subject and that he had regrets for some of the things he said during the many times he was questioned about his beliefs.

    He told them,

    “The bottom line is, of course, I did [feel pressured] and there are things – including that – that I said that I regret.

    “There was a General Election and all they wanted to do was talk about my Christian beliefs. I foolishly and wrongly attempted to push it away by giving an answer that frankly was not right.

    He added, “I found myself in a situation, partly because of events beyond my control and partly because of things that were my fault, where I either had to be compromising my faith and say things that were not true – or be true to my faith, and be in a situation where I sucked all of the attention away from our main message.”

    Dodging gay questions

    During the election, the Prime Minister hopeful repeatedly dodged questions about his beliefs. He finally, during an interview on the BBC, said specifically that he didn’t think that gay sex was a sin. The week before he told the House Of Commons that he didn’t think that being gay was a sin.

    During his time as an MP, according to TheyWorkForYou.com Farron has for voted for gay equality six times, once against and was absent for three votes.

    ‘Christians have a clear idea of what sin is’

    Continuing with Premier Christian Radio, Farron said,

    “It’s tricky really. In the end, if you’re a Christian you’ve got a very clear idea of what you think a sin is. It is us falling short of the glory of God. That is something that all of us share.

    “To be asked that question is to persecute one group of human beings, because sin is something we are all guilty of.

    “If you’re not a Christian, what does sin mean? It’s to be accused of something, it’s condemnatory. We’re talking different languages.

    “Maybe I could have explained that, and the Biblical teaching on sex and sexuality. But let’s be brutally honest, with the exception of programmes like this you don’t get more than 20 seconds to get your message across.”

    Watch the full video here above.

     

     

  • COMMENT | No, Tim Farron wasn’t persecuted for being Christian – he’s just a terrible politician

    Tim Farron has resigned, and he’s martyred himself in the process. Amidst a disappointing election result for the Liberal Democrats (in which they didn’t earn the dividends expected off their hardline opposition to Brexit) and questions about Farron’s ability to control the narrative around him and his party, he is stepping down.

    Farron, though, blames his departure not on any failure of his campaign but because of some imagined persecution. “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,” Farron said upon resignation. “To be a political leader – especially of a progressive, liberal party, in 2017 – and to live as a committed Christian, to hold faithfully to the Bible’s teaching, has felt impossible for me.” The kicker, though, was when he complained he was “the subject of suspicion because of what I believe and who my faith is in,” adding that “we are kidding ourselves if we think we yet live in a tolerant, liberal, society.”

    The sheer gall of this man.

    At the start of the general election, I wrote a piece for The Independent defending Tim Farron’s waffling on whether gay sex is a sin. While as a gay Christian I was annoyed he wouldn’t simply say “no” (though he eventually did), I pointed out that “Tim Farron isn’t standing to be Pope,” and that “if his religion stays out of his politics, which it largely does, it shouldn’t matter what he believes in church, only how he votes in the chamber.”

    “This self-pitying, self-indulgent statement from Farron proves not that Britain is some illiberal Christophobic hell, but that Tim Farron is a spineless, whinging loser”.

    I stand by this principle. But Farron wasn’t subjected to extra scrutiny because he is a Christian, nor are Christians persecuted in Britain. This self-pitying, self-indulgent statement from Farron proves not that Britain is some illiberal Christophobic hell, but that Tim Farron is a spineless, whinging loser.

    After spending the first week or two of the campaign dodging the question of whether gay sex is a sin, Farron finally came out and said that no, he doesn’t think it is. It’s reasonable to ask why, if Farron truly doesn’t believe gay sex to be sinful, that it took him so long to simply answer the damn question.

    Farron could have nipped the whole thing in the bud by answering no the first time. He didn’t. He answered “no” only after it became apparent that his campaign was in crisis. At the time I took him at his word, as did many LGBT people, including within his own party. But the persecution complex in his statement makes me wonder whether Farron ever truly believed gay sex wasn’t sinful, or whether he was himself sinning by lying to us all about that.

    Many, many Christians – myself included – do not think gay sex is at all sinful. We don’t need to waffle on about not being theologians to say so. The implication in Farron’s statement that he is being persecuted for his faith, because he wouldn’t answer about gay sex, is that the only way to be a “faithful” Christian is to follow some sexual orthodoxy that is not present in every denomination. Farron therefore insults millions of Christians who don’t subscribe to a medieval notion that same-sex sexual activity is innately sinful.

    That he seems to have lied is the only logical explanation for why he’s so hell-bent on playing the victim now and why he wouldn’t answer the question directly to begin with. Instead, Farron now pretends that he’s the victim of some anti-Christian witch hunt. But this ignores the fact that other politicians have faced scrutiny over how their faith impacted their stance on LGBT rights, too. The most famous example is probably Sayeeda Warsi, whose Muslim faith has been credited with her own spotty record on LGBT equality. In fact, the LGBT community is frequently used to pinkwash Islamophobia by the Christian right who themselves oppose advances in LGBT equality.

    It is insulting to those Muslims who actually face persecution in society to cry wolf here, and Farron should know better. Beyond this, though, it is absurd to insist that there is an anti-Christian prejudice in Britain. The state religion is Christianity, for God’s sake. The head of state is the head of that church. The BBC has a Christian programme – Songs of Praise – on every Sunday. There are Christian radio stations, Christian tv channels, Christian holidays legally celebrated (Christmas, anyone?), Christian names, Christian schools, and even Christian Bale. Hell, a Christian political party that refuses to work on Sunday is set to be the kingmaker for the next government. A country propped up by the DUP is not a Christophobic country.

    Other politicians haven’t had to explain themselves the way Farron has, despite their Christianity, and this is entirely down to him. Tim simply hasn’t handled this issue well. I’ve defended him on this before, because I don’t think he should have to answer for his private faith, but this is entirely a mess of his own creation.

    “People didn’t dislike Tim Farron because he is Christian. They disliked him because he’s a waffling, spineless elf of a man who even as he resigns cannot accept any responsibility for his party’s defeat”

    By refusing to take responsibility for it – and for the Lib Dems’ electoral disappointments – Farron is portraying himself as the victim of some imaginary puscht. It is insulting to the LGBT community, insulting to religious minorities who are persecuted, and mostly, it’s insulting to voters who rejected a frankly untalented, uninspiring politician who misjudged the nation’s political temperature. People didn’t dislike Tim Farron because he is Christian. They disliked him because he’s a waffling, spineless elf of a man who even as he resigns cannot accept any responsibility for his party’s defeat – or that maybe it wasn’t his God, but him, that voters couldn’t stand.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Tim Farron steps down as Lib Dem leader

    The leader of the Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron has stepped down.

    Tim Farron quits the Lib Dem leadership

    First, it was UKIP’s leader, Paul Nuttall, now it’s the turn of the Liberal Democrat’s leader, Tim Farron to bow out of party leadership.

    The leader who was consistently asked about his views on the sinfulness homosexuality during the election campaign said that he was “torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader”.

    During a press conference, Mr Farron said that he recognised that he should have dealt with certain questions that related to his faith “more wisely”.

    During the campaign, Mr Farron was asked numerous times about his thoughts on the sinfulness of homosexuality and whether gay sex was a sin. Although he did manage to answer once on both questions, he found it almost impossible to give a straight answer whenever he was questioned on the subject.

    Mr Farron became the party leader in 2015 after a close battle with Norman Lamb. His leadership was backed by one of the UK’s highest-profile openly gay peers, Brian Paddick, who yesterday also resigned, citing concerns over Tim Farron’s views.

    Possible successors include Sir Vince Cable, Jo Swinson, Sir Ed Davey and Norman Lamb.

    Post-election, the Liberal Democrats did manage to add seats in the latest election, however, it was a far cry from the hoped-for resurgence of the Lib Dems since most of their seats were wiped out following a coalition with the Tories from 2010 to 2015.

     

  • Lib Dem peer resigns over Tim Farron’s views

    Brian Paddick has resigned his post as the Liberal Democrat Shadow Home Secretary citing concerns over Tim Farron’s views.

    Brian Paddick resigns the Lib Dems

    One of the UK’s most powerful LGBT Peers and the Liberal Democrat’s highest profile gay member, Brian Paddick has, today, resigned his position as the Shadow Home Secretary over “concerns” about Tim Farron’s views.

    Taking to Twitter Brian Paddick said,

    “I’ve resigned as LibDems Shadow Home Secretary over concerns about the leader’s views on various issues that were highlighted during GE17.”

    https://twitter.com/brianpaddick/status/874976886069374976

    During the GE2017 campaign, Tim Farron was unable to answer, numerous times, about his beliefs surrounding the sinfulness of homosexuality. Although did say that he didn’t think that homosexuality or gay sex was a sin, he failed to answer further questioning on LBC’s breakfast show.

    Lord Paddick did not go into detail about which of Mr Farron’s views he had taken issue with.

    In 2015, Mr Paddick had been a vocal supporter of Tim Farron’s during and after the announcement of Farron as the new Lib Dem leader, telling THEGAYUK,

    “Tim Farron has come under a lot of criticism from people who either deliberately or simply misread Tim’s position when it came to votes in the House of Commons on equal marriage,

    “He did ask for a change in the timetable to allow more discussion over complex issues around people who have honestly held beliefs who are currently employed as registrars, for example, who would feel very uncomfortable because it conflicts with their faith to conduct an equal marriage ceremony. He felt not enough time had been allowed in the parliamentary time belt to discuss those issues.

    “As the Liberal Democrats’ gayest highest profile member I am absolutely confident that I can vote for Tim Farron and that he is absolutely 100% behind LGBTI rights.”

    The Liberal Democrats did manage to add seats in the latest election, however, it was a far cry from the hoped-for resurgence of the Lib Dems since most of their seats were wiped out following a coalition with the Tories from 2010 to 2015.

  • Tim Farron once again cannot answer whether being gay is a sin

    Tim Farron has once again refused to answer on whether he thinks being gay is a sin.

    Speaking on Nick Ferrari’s LBC morning show, Tim Farron once again refused to answer whether he thought being gay was a sin.

    A caller, Brian, from Highgate asked the Lib Dem leader whether he thought that homosexuality was a sin to which he answered, “I dealt with that weeks ago.”

    Ferarri asked Farron to remind the listeners what his position was, to which Farron answered, “Do you know what, we’re not going there. My personal faith is my personal faith.”

    When pushed again by Ferrari, Farron answered,

    “…to be honest with you, a person who is a leader of a political party, it’s their job as someone who is passionate about LGBT rights, prove it with your actions, not by your words.

    “My actions, absolutely, are 100% about defending LGBT rights. And as a party, you look what we’ve done, my colleague Lynne Featherstone introduced equal marriage, I’m very proud of that.”

    In April, Farron answered the question in April during an interview with the BBC where he said,

    in a BBC interview this week, again Mr Farron’s opinion was sought on the subject. He replied,

    “I don’t believe that gay sex is a sin.

    “I take the view though, that as a political leader, my job is not to pontificate on theological matters.

    “It seems to me that there is a general election on at the moment, we need to be talking about big issues.”

    The general election will take place on Thursday 8th June 2017.

     

     

     

     

  • Tim Farron: I Don’t Believe Gay Sex Is A Sin

    It seems as though one question has been following Tim Farron around for some time. Is gay sex a sin?

    A simple question that has been fixated on by the media due to Mr Farron’s refusal to originally answer the question. Back in July 2015, during an interview for Channel 4 news, the newly elected leader of the Liberal Democrats refused to answer the question three times on whether he believed gay sex was a sin. Instead, answering with: “We’re all sinners.”

    Now, nearly two years later, the question came up again as we head into a flash general election. After refusing again to answer the question to journalists, Tim finally told the House of Commons last week, during direct questioning that he did not think that being gay is a sin.

    This still didn’t answer the direct question of gay sex being a sin or not and so, in a BBC interview this week, again Mr Farron’s opinion was sought on the subject. He replied,

    “I don’t believe that gay sex is a sin.

    “I take the view though, that as a political leader, my job is not to pontificate on theological matters.

    “It seems to me that there is a general election on at the moment, we need to be talking about big issues.”

    The general election will take place on Thursday 8th June 2017.

  • OPINION | When will the mainstream media ask Theresa May if she thinks gay sex is a sin?

    Yesterday the media was awash with gay sex. In fact, I’ve never heard so much said about gay sex by the UK’s media (well not since Queer As Folk in 1999).

     

    Tim Farron has had a weekend of it.

    Probably never in the history of the world has one straight-identified man had to think about the sex that goes on between two people of the same sex than Tim Farron after the endless barrage of questioning, from the media, on the sinfulness of gay sex.

    And as though Farron is the authority of sin anyway and his say is final.

    Over the weekend, one interviewer asked him, it seems proudly, 11 times in an interview to clarify whether he actually thought “gay sex” was a sin, the interviewer even brought up Leviticus, shellfish (Tim’s a Vegetarian) and mixed fabrics.

    Listening to the questioning, exactly what do they mean when they say “gay sex”? Do they mean anal? Because actually isn’t the question then: do you think anal sex is sinful – because guess what heterosexuals have anal sex too.

    What does the mainstream media mean when they say “gay sex”? Do they mean anal? Because actually isn’t the question then: do you think anal sex is sinful? Because guess what, heterosexuals have anal sex too.

    Channel 4’s Cathy Newman asked him four times, Preston on Sunday morning (on a Sunday morning of all times) also asked him…

    Don’t we have an answer? He spelt it out loud and proud in Parliment no less. “I do not” he answered with conviction.

    He doesn’t think being gay is a sin. With “gay sex” being part of being gay doesn’t that technically answer it?

    Aren’t there more pressing questions of Farron that should be asked?

    The mainstream media’s fascination with this line of question is mindboggling. I also had no idea that the mainstream media could talk and question, at length, with authority, on this subject.

    When it comes to other matters concerning the LGBT community more often than not, it’s all quiet. For instance, how long did it take for the Chechnya gay detention, torture and killing story to break through? Some parts of the media haven’t even yet reported on it.

    Well, I’ll tell you what I want, the same media now needs to ask the same questions to Theresa May. She’s a committed Christian, just like Farron. She’s also used her Christianity to justify decisions more openly than any other politician has done of late. So shouldn’t we be asking her what she thinks of a bit of bum fun?

    I think that questions about her decisions on LGBT equality prior to 2004 should be probed.

    Whilst Farron’s record on voting on LGBT rights is good, granted not perfect, his party’s stance is exceptional. If you want to read Lord Paddick’s explanation on Farron’s abstention of same-sex marriage 3rd reading click here)

    Ms May’s not so much and as for the Tories, well, history speaks for itself.

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

     

  • Politicians’ views on homosexuality aren’t necessarily a barrier for the LGBT community

    Politicians’ views on homosexuality aren’t necessarily a barrier for the LGBT community

    In a flash poll taken by THEGAYUK, readers were split on whether a politician’s views on gay sex were an important consideration to them.

    CREDIT: Ocus-Focus-bigstock

    When asked if a politician’s views of what LGBT people do or don’t do in bed was a sin, an equal number of those surveyed answered yes and no. A flash poll undertaken by THEGAYUK showed that 47 percent of people thought that a politician’s views on the subject was an important factor to consider, whilst 47 percent did not. Six percent were unsure.

    The poll comes after the leader of Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron was asked about his views on homosexuality. The committed Christian has been asked over and over on whether he considers homosexuality sinful.

    Channel 4 News’ Cathy Newman asked him four times on the subject during two separate interviews. It was only during a parliamentary debate in the House of Commons, where he was asked by Tory backbencher Nigel Evans on whether he thought being gay was a sin, the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP answered,

    “I do not.

    “I tell you what, I am very proud to have gone through that lobby behind him there in the Coalition Government where the Liberal Democrats introduced gay marriage, equal marriage and, indeed, did not go as far as it should have done in terms of recognising transgender rights.

    Replying to our poll, would be members of the electorate were keen to point out that “straight answers” to a simple question would be “refreshing” and that religious views would only be a problem if politicians wanted to “enforce that belief through politics”.

    Guardian writer, Owen Jones however Tweeted,

    “Tim Farron refusing to say whether gay sex is a sin is horribly damaging to young LGBT people struggling with their sexuality.

    “So many LGBT people fear rejection by society. Hearing a national politician refuse to say whether gay sex is sinful causes hurt.”

     

     

     

     

     

     

     

  • OPINION | Religion Can Have A Place In Politics

    “Tim Farron is a homophobe”. At least, that’s what has been blowing up Twitter the past few days.

    This is due, more recently, to him again dodging a question about homosexuality from Cathy Newman on Channel 4 News and whether or not Mr Farron believed it was a sin. His response was about as reassuring as your one night stand telling you it’s “probably not chlamydia”. He paused, grimaced and managed simply to say that he wouldn’t make theological pronouncements. Cathy Newman was asking him because, after asking the same question in 2015, he responded: “in Christianity, we’re all sinners”. Bravo. This doubling-down on avoiding the question led to a big debate about the importance of one’s religion when you’re running for office.

    But what’s the precedent on this? Well, Prime Ministers have always discussed their faith. Britain, by tradition, is a Christian country so it was always a political point to be scored. Tony Blair was famously religious and even admitted, during an interview with Michael Parkinson, that he prayed to God over the Iraq War. Yet, Blair is considered a Gay Icon and even won an award from Gay Times. Blair, as Prime Minister, ushered in a raft of LGBT-positive legislation such as civil partnerships, the right to adopt, the equal age of consent, the repeal of section 28, ending the LGBT Armed Forces ban as well as stringent hate crime laws and the Gender Recognition Act. Never once did the public consider his religious beliefs to be in the way of his progressive ideals.

    So let’s look at Tim Farron again. What is different between his awkward response to the gay question to that of Corbyn’s homosexuality-as-a-choice gaffe? Farron did an interview with GQ in 2015 where he asserted his viewpoint, despite his religion “I’m not a religious leader; I’m a political leader. I think that everybody is utterly equal. People should be free to love who they want and marry who they want. But I don’t go making theological pronouncements.”

    These days, we are all so quick to judge but it’s understandable. Heinous crimes have been committed throughout history against LGBT people on the basis of religion. We’ve seen in America the debate about same-sex marriage and how it’s not ‘what God intended’. Homosexuality as a sin is something that seems to be the only thing most religions agree on. Therefore, I feel like LGBT people almost have a Pavlovian reaction to religion – where we hear the word God, we assume hate will follow. But that isn’t fair. We have to accept that, sometimes, our politicians are allowed to change their minds.

    Look at Hillary Clinton who in 2000 commented that “marriage has got historic, religious and moral content that goes back to the beginning of time, and I think a marriage is as a marriage has always been, between a man and a woman.” Sure, she continued by saying that same-sex partnerships should enjoy the same rights but it still wasn’t out-and-out support that we saw from her during her 2008 Democratic nomination campaign and subsequent 2016 Presidential campaign. Tim Farron’s record is admittedly sketchy. He voted in favour of same-sex marriage but in 2007 voted against the Equality Act and in 2013 abstained from a third reading of the same-sex marriage bill. Also in 2007, he gave an interview to the Salvation Army’s War Cry magazine about abortion stating he felt, “abortion is wrong. Society has to climb down from the position that says there is nothing morally objectionable about abortion before a certain time. If abortion is wrong, it is wrong at any time.” However, he then said that, “the standards that define my personal morality as a Christian are not the standards of public morality”.

    This again raises an interesting question of how genuine someone’s belief in something needs to be. Tim Farron might be anti-abortion or even anti-LGBT rights but his party supports choice and supports LGBT equality. Should we trust somebody who only believes in something politically and not personally? Does it matter? Essentially, it all comes down to trust. Tim Farron’s personal beliefs right now have not dictated his political beliefs but, if he were Prime Minister, would that change? He would have to make big decisions where he would likely turn to his religion and to God, as Tony Blair did, for the right answer. Tony Blair always made it clear that he believed in equality. Tim Farron seemingly believes it’s the right thing to believe politically. There’s a difference.

    Well, it’s always going to be tough for LGBT people to believe a religious candidate is a candidate that would represent them. Yet, at the same time, it would be equally discriminatory for us to judge people solely on their religion.

    But what about religious politicians in general? Well, it’s always going to be tough for LGBT people to believe a religious candidate is a candidate that would represent them. Yet, at the same time, it would be equally discriminatory for us to judge people solely on their religion. Religion in the modern day is becoming flexible. The Pope himself has stated that ‘God is not afraid of new things’ and continues to try to modernise the Church’s views on homosexuality and divorce (despite hesitation of the Synod). We cannot put all religious people in a box but at the same time, we’re right to be vigilant. Decades of persecution on religious grounds has taught us to be hesitant when it comes to politics and religion.

    Tim Farron’s gaffe is no worse than Corbyn’s, personally, but the difference is that Corbyn has a strong track record of voting for equal rights. I strongly believe we must judge our politicians on how they vote more than what they say. I understand, it’s not nice to hear a politician to even hint that homosexuality is a sin, especially when you think about the effect it has on younger LGBT people. But the lip service politicians give for votes (where being ambiguous means they can play both sides) is different completely to how they ultimately vote in Parliament. When it comes to politics, actions always speak louder than words and it is vital that everybody research candidates and their voting stances because, ultimately, the biggest God any MP prays to is their electorate.

    If you want to see how your MP has voted on a wide range of issues, check out www.theyworkforyou.com.

     

    Opinions expressed in this article may not reflect those of THEGAYUK, its management or editorial teams. If you’d like to comment or write a comment, opinion or blog piece, please click here.

  • Tim Farron does NOT consider being gay a sin

    The Liberal Democrat leader, Tim Farron has said that he does not think that being gay is a sin.

    • Tim Farron said that he did not think that being gay was a sin.

    • He said he was proud that the Liberal Democrats were able, with the Coalition Government to introduce same-sex marriage.

    • He said there was still so much more to be done and called for an “open, tolerant, united society”.

    Tim Farron has answered that he does not consider homosexuality a sin, following a direct questioning in the House of Commons today.

    Asked by Tory backbencher Nigel Evans on whether he thought being gay was a sin, the Westmorland and Lonsdale MP answered,

    “I do not. I tell you what, I am very proud to have gone through that lobby behind him there in the Coalition Government where the Liberal Democrats introduced gay marriage, equal marriage and, indeed, did not go as far as it should have done in terms of recognising transgender rights.

    “There is much more to be done and if we campaign in this election – as we will – for an open, tolerant, united society then we need to make sure that we do not in any way be complacent about LGBT rights not just here but in other parts of the world.

    “In particular what is going on in Chechnya at the moment.”

    The answer comes after the Lib Dem leader failed to answer Cathy Newman’s question on Channel 4 News.

    Ms Newman asked,

    “A while back I asked you if you thought that homosexuality was a sin and you struggled to answer.

    “Now you’ve had a while to consider that question, what is the answer?”

    Mr Farron replied, “I don’t think I struggled to answer it at all, Cathy. I think I’m not in the position to make theological announcements over the next six weeks.

    “I’m not going to spend my time talking theology or making pronouncements.”

  • Leader of Lib Dems couldn’t answer this question about homosexuality

    The leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron has yet again dodged a question about his thoughts on the morality of homosexuality.

    Tim Farron, leader of the Liberal Democrats has once again failed to answer whether he thinks homosexuality is a sin or not, during an interview on Channel 4 with Cathy Newman.

    Mr Farron who identifies as a Christian was unable to answer a question on whether he thought homosexuality was a sin. Ms Newman asked the 46-year-old politician, “A while back I asked you if you thought that homosexuality was a sin and you struggled to answer.

    “Now you’ve had a while to consider that question, what is the answer?”

    Mr Farron replied, “I don’t think I struggled to answer it at all, Cathy. I think I’m not in the position to make theological announcements over the next six weeks.

    “I’m not going to spend my time talking theology or making pronouncements.”

    The question follows on from an interview in 2015 where she asked, “Do you think as a Christian, that homosexual sex is a sin?” He was so evasive with his answer, Ms Newman asked him three times.

    In an interview with GQ in 2016, Tim Farron revealed that he joined the Liberal Democrats, because of his gay friends saying,

    “One of the reasons I joined the liberals was because of lesbian and gay rights. Friends of mine were gay and I saw how they were treated and bullied. I want a society where people are valued for who they are.”

    Farron has repeatedly had his stance on gay relationships questioned after abstaining on the UK’s same-sex marriage vote in 2013.