Tim Farron was first elected as the Liberal Democrat MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale in the Lake District in 2001, being reelected in 2019 with a majority of 1,934.
The constituency of Westmorland and Lonsdale is a large rural constituency found in the south of Cumbria. Covering the Howgill Fells and the south of the Lake District, this constituency contains some of the most dramatic scenery in England. It includes the larger town of Kendall, as well as the small towns of Windemere, Kirby Lonsdale, Sedbergh, Ambleside, and Grange over Sands on the coast.
Once a Conservative seat, Westmorland and Lonsdale was gained by the Liberal Democrats in 2001. The party has retained it in elections ever since, although by relatively slender majorities in both 2017 and 2019. This is the only Liberal Democrat seat in the north of England.
Tim Farron was elected as the Liberal Democrat leader between 2015 and 2017.
Farron currently serves as the Lib Dem spokesman on Housing, Communities, Local Government, Food and Rural Affairs.
Farron previously served as the Lib Dem Party President between 2011 and 2015. He was regularly critical of the Coalition government between 2010 and 2015 and voted against both the rise in tuition fees and the introduction of the bedroom tax.
Born in 1970, Tim Farron has been a member of the Liberal Democrats since the age of 16 and gained a national profile in 1990 as the sole Liberal Democrat on the National Union of Students’ National Executive.
Farron worked for ten years in higher education, including at St Martin’s College at Ambleside, before becoming an MP.
Farron was elected to Lancashire County Council between 1993 and 2000. He has also served on South Lakeland Council.
Farron is a committed Christian. He has previously been known for strong views on abortion, and euthanasia. The Register of Members Interests showed that in 2020, Tim Farron received support from the religious think tank, Faith in Public. This supported included the services of a public relations company worth £14,400, two policy advisers worth £22,918 and an intern worth £11,368.
In 2019, he wrote an autobiography A Better Ambition: Confessions of a Faithful Liberal.
Farron is a vegetarian. He is married with four children. He enjoys fell running and supports Blackburn FC. He previously won Celebrity Mastermind, and chose Blackburn FC as his specialist subject.
Tim Farron is Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Outdoor Learning; Radiotherapy; Religion in the Media; Uplands and Hill Farming. He is Vice Chair of the All Party Parliamentary Groups Eritrea; Child and Youth Crime; Christians in Parliament; Dark Skies; Dying Well; Eating Well; Farming; Migration; Hospitality and Tourism; National Parks; the Night Time Economy;
Email: farront@parliament.uk
Personal Website: www.timfarron.co.uk
Twitter: https://twitter.com/timfarron
Facebook Page: https://www.facebook.com/timfarronmp
