In Depth:  Tim Farron

Tim Farron

Moments before the result on the assisted dying bill was announced earlier today, I saw a WhatsApp message telling me we had lost the vote. My heart sank and I exchanged depressed glances with some of my fellow anti-assisted dying Lib Dem colleagues. I prayed earnestly that those figures were in error.

Then the result was revealed: the Ayes had 270 votes and the Noes, 286 votes. I felt a spine-tingling sense of God at work, a deep relief… but no desire to be triumphalist.

Tim Farron

The Clacton by-election takes place on 13th August with 33 candidates – none from the main political parties – challenging Reform’s Nigel Farage to become the MP.

Mr Farage said that he triggered the election to set up a contest between "the people" and "the establishment", appealing to the voters to vindicate his conduct over the heads of the Parliamentary authorities.

Tim Farron

Political drama has roared back into Westminster today. Within five hours, Keir Starmer resigned as Prime Minister, and Andy Burnham was sworn in as the new MP for Makerfield. The assumption of course, is that Burnham will take over as Prime Minister in the coming weeks.

There may yet be a leadership contest, but primary challenger Wes Streeting has said that he will support Burnham, so it looks more likely to be a coronation for the former Manchester Mayor and so-called King of the North.

Tim Farron

We have all been deeply moved by the dreadful murder of student Henry Nowak in Southampton. His murderer, a British Sikh, was jailed last week. He and his brother had falsely claimed that Henry had racially abused him, and police bodycam footage shows Henry being handcuffed and disbelieved when he repeatedly cried out he had been stabbed and couldn’t breathe.

This is a horrific, awful event. There is no doubt that it was a shocking example of poor policing, and all of us who have watched the footage or read the details should absolutely be angry about it.

Tim Farron

What now for UK politics? Last week’s elections were really bad for Labour. The party lost its century-long dominance in Wales, and tied for second place with Reform in Scotland. In England it lost control of 37 English local councils and almost 1,500 councillors.

People voted on local factors but also gave their verdict on the Westminster government. Many are disappointed and angry at Labour’s performance since the 2024 general election. Many of his own MPs blame Keir Starmer personally, and the wagons circling the Prime Minister have been closing in. Wes Streeting has resigned; another Labour MP, Josh Simons, is standing down to spark a by-election in an attempt to help Andy Burnham back into the Commons; a leadership contest may well follow.

Tim Farron

Millions of voters are going to the polls to pick their representatives in the Scottish Parliament, the Welsh Senedd, and in a third of English local councils' seats, including all of London.

Reform and the Greens (and, I might say, hopefully, the Lib Dems!) are expected to pick up lots of council seats, whilst the still-unpopular Conservatives are bracing for losses.

Tim Farron

Christians around the world have been horrified by America and Israel’s war against Iran. Yet at the centre of the US government, there seems to be a different so-called Christian narrative driving the conflict.

Pete Hegseth is the Secretary of Defence – or Secretary of War as he now calls himself – and in charge of the US military. He is also a Christian and a member of the Communion of Reformed Evangelical Churches, which supports a theocratic state ruled according to Old Testament laws.

Tim Farron

Last weekend, the US and Israel launched military strikes on Iran that killed the country’s Supreme Leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, and other senior leaders.

Iran has retaliated by striking Israel and other countries in the Middle East with US bases, such as the UAE, Qatar, Bahrain and Kuwait.

Tim Farron

I’ve been reflecting on a moment in Luke 7. A woman comes to Jesus with an alabaster jar of costly perfume. She breaks it and pours it all at His feet. The disciples complain about the “waste,” but she holds nothing back. She doesn’t compartmentalise Jesus; He is everything.

That story has been on my mind as the UK wrestles with a heated immigration debate once again.

Tim Farron

Today I want to talk about service. This word is baked into the public institutions which our society is built upon: the Civil Service, the National Health Service, the Crown Prosecution Service...

The first words King Charles III said in Westminster Abbey at his Coronation summed up his new role as sovereign: “I come not to be served, but to serve.”

Tim Farron

Last week there was jubilation and relief as the remaining 20 living Israeli hostages were released from Gaza. In return, Israel released 250 Palestinian prisoners and a further 1,700 detainees. This is hopefully a first tentative step towards building a peace process in the Middle East.

Of course there are many issues still to be resolved – for example, how Gaza might be governed and what the proposed multinational "stabilisation force" might look like.

Tim Farron

This week's Labour Party conference in Liverpool proved to be a challenging time for Keir Starmer. It's not an easy time to be in government!

The economic situation is tough, immigration seems to be the hottest topic if the media is to be believed and international crises show no sign of abating. Since winning last year’s general election with a massive majority, Labour has plummeted in the polls and the PM is facing discontent among MPs and party members.

Tim Farron

Over the summer, British politics usually takes a break. Parliament is in recess, MPs are working in their constituencies, and hopefully taking a holiday to recharge.

This is a good time to reflect on the past year. Looking at the state of the world and the UK, it is frankly a challenge to remain optimistic.

Tim Farron

Over the weekend, the US conducted bombing strikes by air on three sites of nuclear infrastructure in Iran.

President Trump lauded the operation as a "spectacular military success" against the "world’s number one state sponsor of terror", claiming that Iran’s nuclear enrichment facilities had been "completely and totally obliterated".

Tim Farron

Last night MPs debated the Crime and Policing Bill, and voted by a majority of 242 to decriminalise abortion at any gestation time when a woman has acted in relation to her own pregnancy.

I hope it goes without saying that I have immense compassion for women faced with this impossible decision. The cases of late term abortions in the news recently are deeply sad – often stories of desperation, trauma, and fear.

politics & policy

Tim Farron

Do you ever feel like switching off the news? I know I do. Another alert flashes up on your phone, another crisis, and you sigh, “again,” before setting it aside.

And then come the questions: is that wrong? Am I tuning out when the world needs more compassion? Maybe, like me, you’ve seen so much bad news that your heart feels a bit worn out. You scroll past a tragic story not because you don’t care, but because, honestly, constantly caring can feel exhausting.

Tim Farron

We have just marked the third anniversary of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Foreign leaders gathered in Kyiv to commemorate the invasion and pledge continued support to Ukraine.

President Zelensky has estimated that 46,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed, 380,000 wounded, and 35,000 are missing in action, likely dead.

Tim Farron

Today has been the busiest Friday in the House of Commons for years.

Usually MPs are in our constituencies, focusing on local issues. But today, the Commons chamber was packed. Over 160 MPs sought to express their views on a bill to introduce assisted dying for adults with a terminal illness and less than six months to live.

Tim Farron

The General Election this summer saw an influx of 334 new MPs into Parliament – a turnover of more than half the entire House of Commons!

The electoral pendulum swung. In 2015 the Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Party was almost obliterated; in 2019, Labour suffered heavy losses. In 2024, 252 Conservative MPs lost their seats, plus 38 SNP and a smattering of others. I’m delighted to have the largest number of Lib Dem colleagues ever, but the result is also bittersweet. Some of those who lost are friends of mine, and some lost their seat to my party.