Tim Farron has resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats, following a furore over his beliefs concerning gay sex.

The politician admitted some of his comments concerning the matter could have been wiser – when asked if homosexuality is a sin he had previously responded: “We are all sinners.”

After the matter refused to go away and surfaced again during the election campaign, Mr Farron said it had felt “impossible” to be both Lib Dem leader and a Christian.

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Earlier on Wednesday Lib Dem Lord Paddick, a gay former senior Met police officer, resigned from his post as the party’s home affairs spokesman.

In a statement, Mr Farron said: “I seem to be the subject of suspicion because of what I believe and who my faith is in.

“In which case we are kidding ourselves if we think we yet live in a tolerant, liberal society. That’s why I have chosen to step down as leader of the Liberal Democrats.”

He said that from the “very first day” of his leadership he had faced questions about his Christian faith and that he had tried to answer with “grace and patience”, adding: “Sometimes my answers could have been wiser.”

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But with the vital election campaign kicking off and the Lib Dems desperate to capitalise on any anti-Brexit feeling, Mr Farron said the issue was distracting attention from the party’s message.

When the results came in last Friday the party had gained four seats, leaving them with 12 – not as many as had been hoped for in the wake of the EU referendum.

Mr Farron added: “Journalists have every right to ask what they see fit. 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.

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“A better, wiser person than me may have been able to deal with this more successfully, to have remained faithful to Christ while leading a political party in the current environment.”

Taking to Twitter earlier in the day, Lord Paddick said: “I’ve resigned as Lib Dems Shadow Home Secretary over concerns about the leader’s views on various issues that were highlighted during GE17.”

The announcement clears the way for one of the other well known figures in the party to step forward and take on the top job.

Potential contenders include Jo Swinson, newly returned to Parliament, former cabinet ministers Vince Cable and Ed Davey and ex-health minister Norman Lamb.</s>Preston-born leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron has stepped down, according to reports.

The 47-year-old who was educated at Lostock Hall High School and Runshaw College, Leyland, announced his decision just minutes ago.

It follows the resignation of his home affairs spokesman Lord Brian Paddick over the leader's views on gay marriage.

Throughout the general election campaign the Liberal Democrat leader was dogged by questions about his attitude to gay sex after he previously appeared to state the practice was a sin.

Mr Farron also faced tough questions about his views on abortion after he previously claimed it was "wrong".

He has now resigned as leader, according to reports.</s>Tim Farron has resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats following their disappointing showing at the General Election.

Mr Farron, whose campaign was dominated by questions about his views on sexuality, said he was "torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader".

He also said he should have dealt "more wisely" with questions relating to his faith during the election campaign, including his views on gay sex.

Mr Farron had faced criticism during the election campaign for failing to answer questions regarding his position on homosexuality.

He refused four times in an interview with Channel 4 news to say whether he believed being gay was a sin.

When asked the question in the House Of Commons a day later he replied: "I do not."

Speaking in an interview with the BBC he later further clarified his views saying: “I don't believe gay sex is a sin.

“I take the view that as a political leader though 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 - health, social care, education, whether we're in the single market or not.

“And it occurs to me really that this had become a talking point, an issue.”

Speaking today Mr Farron said he had been torn between his religion and serving as a political leader.

"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," he said.

"A better, wiser person than me may have been able to deal with this more successfully, to have remained faithful to Christ while leading a political party in the current environment.

"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."

He insisted he had taken the decision voluntarily and he retained the support of his party.</s>Tim Farron has resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats.

The 47-year-old, who was returned as one of 12 Lib Dem MPs at last week’s election, announced his departure this evening.

He was elected leader in 2015 following the resignation of Nick Clegg.

Farron was returned as MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale in Cumbria in 2005 and has held the seat at each subsequent election.</s>London: Britain's Liberal Democrats leader Tim Farron announced his resignation on Wednesday, citing scrutiny of his religious views over gay rights during the recent general election campaign.

"To be a political leader... and to live as a committed Christian, to hold faithfully to the Bible's teaching, has felt impossible for me," he said.

Farron, 47, said he had felt "torn" between political and religious life after facing questioning over whether he agreed with his party's positive view of same-sex unions.

A father of four, Farron was elected leader of the Liberal Democrats in July 2015 after the party, which had been in a coalition with the ruling Conservatives, was nearly wiped out in the general election, losing 48 seats.

However, the party created a surprise in last week's snap election, increasing their number of MPs from nine to 12, after campaigning for a second referendum on the terms of Brexit.

But Farron's stance on gay rights grabbed headlines very early on the campaign and he was asked to clarify whether he thought being gay was a sin after a 2015 interview resurfaced in which he had given an evasive answer.

"At the start of this election, I found myself under scrutiny again; asked about matters to do with my faith. I felt guilty that this focus was distracting attention from our campaign, obscuring our message," he said on Wednesday. "I seem to be the subject of suspicion because of what I believe and who my faith is in," he added.

Voting records show that Farron, an evangelical Christian, voted to allow registrars not to carry out gay marriages if they object on religious grounds.

He also voted against the Equality Act Regulations, which criminalised many types of discrimination against gay people back in 2007, opposing his party's official stance.

Former business secretary Vince Cable, Ed Davey, a former energy and climate change secretary and Jo Swinson, are the favourites to replace him.</s>The leader of the UK’s Liberal Democrats, Tim Farron, has announced his resignation as leader of the pro-EU party.

The Lib Dems added three seats in last week’s UK election, an improvement on their disastrous 2015 performance, but their 12-seat haul masked embarrassing defeats for Britain’s so-called third party.

The party’s former leader Nick Clegg, deputy prime minister to David Cameron in the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition from 2010 to 2015, was the biggest casualty of the election.

Mr Farron clung on to his seat in Westmorland and Lonsdale in Cumbria, but his majority fell from 8,949 to just 777, a byproduct of a lacklustre campaign in which he struggled to be noticed.

The party had sought to tap the 48 per cent who voted Remain in the Brexit referendum last year by pledging to hold a second referendum, but the strategy failed.

Possible candidates to replace Mr Farron as party leader include Vince Cable, Ed Davey and Jo Swinson,</s>Tim Farron has resigned as leader of the Liberal Democrats .

And Mr Farron, a Christian, said it followed criticism of his religious beliefs.

He faced repeated questioning over his views on homosexuality during the campaign. Mr Farron initially refused to answer questions about whether he believes gay sex is a sin, although he eventually said he did not.

The Lib Dems failed to make significant progress in last week’s general election .

They won just 12 seats, although this was four more than in the previous election, in 2015.

And they won 7.4% of the vote, down slightly from 7.9% in 2015.

There were signs earlier today of an attempt to force him to resign. Lord Brian Paddick, a former Lib Dem candidate for mayor of London, quit as the party’s home affairs spokesman, citing “concerns about the leader’s views on various issues”.

Announcing his resignation in a speech at the Liberal Democrat HQ in London, Mr Farron told party workers: “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.

“I’m a liberal to my finger tips, and that liberalism means that I am passionate about defending the rights and liberties of people who believe different things to me.

“There are Christians in politics who take the view that they should impose the tenets of faith on society, but I have not taken that approach because I disagree with it - it’s not liberal and it is counterproductive when it comes to advancing the gospel.

“Even so, I seem to be the subject of suspicion because of what I believe and who my faith is in.

“In which case we are kidding ourselves if we think we yet live in a tolerant, liberal society.”

Mr Farron’s strategy during the general election campaign was to attempt to appeal to “remainers” who opposed Brexit. He called for a second referendum on leaving the EU.

But it didn’t seem to be effective when it came to attracting new voters.

He will continue as an MP.

Favourites to succeed Mr Farron as the new Lib Dem leader include Jo Swinson, the MP for East Dunbartonshire. She lost her seat in 2015 but regained it in last week’s election.</s>Mr Farron said he made the decision after scrutiny surrounding his views on gay sex.

He said he was "torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader".

Mr Farron said the decision had been taken voluntarily and he has support of his party.

His announcements follows the decision by Brian Paddick, the former police commander, who said he was resigning as the party's home office spokesman "over concerns about the leader's views on various issues that were highlighted during GE17".

Mr Farron said: “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.

“A better, wiser person than me may have been able to deal with this more successfully, to have remained faithful to Christ while leading a political party in the current environment.

“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.”

Mr Farron faced criticism during the General Election campaign for failing to answer questions about his position on homosexuality.

He made clear he supported equal marriage and LGBT rights, but in a broadcast interview did not say whether or not it was a sin.

After days of pressure to clarify his stance on the issue, he finally made clear he did not believe gay sex is a sin but continued to face questions in interviews.

In his statement, Mr Farron said the continued questions over his faith showed “we are kidding ourselves” if people in Britain thought they were living in a tolerant liberal society.

“I’m a liberal to my finger tips, and that liberalism means that I am passionate about defending the rights and liberties of people who believe different things to me,” he said.

“There are Christians in politics who take the view that they should impose the tenets of faith on society, but I have not taken that approach because I disagree with it - it’s not liberal and it is counterproductive when it comes to advancing the gospel.

“Even so, I seem to be the subject of suspicion because of what I believe and who my faith is in.

“In which case we are kidding ourselves if we think we yet live in a tolerant, liberal society. That’s why I have chosen to step down as leader of the Liberal Democrats.”</s>The Liberal Democrats face their second hunt for a new leader in two years following the dramatic resignation of Tim Farron.

Mr Farron announced on Wednesday he was standing down as party leader as he could not endure continued questioning over his Christian faith.

Former business minister Jo Swinson, who regained her East Dunbartonshire seat from the SNP in the General Election, was immediately installed as the bookies' favourite to succeed him and become the party's first female leader.

Mr Farron - a committed Christian who was repeatedly questioned during the election campaign as to whether he believed gay sex was a sin - said his religion had made him a "subject of suspicion".

His shock announcement came just hours after the party's openly gay home affairs spokesman Brian Paddick said he was standing down citing "concerns about the leader's views on various issues".

There were reports other senior figures were ready to follow suit to force his hand if he did not step aside voluntarily.

In an emotional statement Mr Farron, who had been in post less than two years, said he had been unable to reconcile his Christian faith with the demands of leading a "progressive, liberal" party.

"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," he said.

"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."

Mr Farron faced intense criticism during the election campaign for failing to answer questions about his position on homosexuality.

While he made it clear he supported equal marriage and LGBT rights, he initially declined to say whether he believed gay sex was a sin.

After days of pressure to clarify his stance on the issue, he finally made clear he did not, but continued to be pressed on the issue in interviews.

In his statement, Mr Farron said the continued questions over his faith showed people in Britain were "kidding ourselves" if they thought they were living in a tolerant liberal society.

"I'm a liberal to my finger tips, and that liberalism means that I am passionate about defending the rights and liberties of people who believe different things to me," he said.

"Even so, I seem to be the subject of suspicion because of what I believe and who my faith is in. In which case we are kidding ourselves if we think we yet live in a tolerant, liberal society."

Mr Farron said that he would carry on as party leader until British Parliament breaks for the summer recess next month, when an election for a new leader would be held.

Former deputy leader Sir Simon Hughes said it was "brave and honourable to say what he did".

Sir Simon, who has been friends with Mr Farron since university, told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "He said very clearly he had become the subject of suspicion because of what I believe or what my faith is ... and it would be the same for people of other faiths who have strong faith views.

"Where there are issues which are very controversial within that faith community it became unfairly difficult that Tim was put in the firing line and felt that he couldn't adequately do justice to his faith while upholding the liberal values which he has argued for all his life."</s>Tim Farron has quit as leader of the Liberal Democrats.

The MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale resigned after the general election saying he was "torn between living as a faithful Christian and serving as a political leader".

He said: "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.

"A better, wiser person than me may have been able to deal with this more successfully, to have remained faithful to Christ while leading a political party in the current environment.

"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 resignation comes just hours after the party's home affairs spokesman Lord Brian Paddick quit over Farron's views on gay marriage.

The Lib Dem peer, who stood as the Lib Dem London mayoral candidate in 2008 and 2012, Tweeted: "I've resigned as @LibDems Shadow Home Secretary over concerns about the leader's views on various issues that were highlighted during GE17."

One likely challenger for the role is Jo Swinson, who won back her seat in East Dunbartonshire last week after losing her seat in the 2015 election.
Tim Farron resigns as leader of the Liberal Democrats amid controversy concerning his views on gay sexual practices.