Tuition fees rebel elected Lib Dem president
The Liberal Democrats have elected an MP who refuses to back his party’s line on tuition fees as their president.
Tim Farron, the MP for the Lake District’s Westmorland seat, beat former Richmond MP Susan Kramer, who lost her seat to Conservative Zac Goldsmith at the general election, to the internal management post.
Although the presidency is a largely administrative, organisational role, its prominence has attracted publicity-hungry figures like ex-MP Lembit Opik to run for the job in the past.
Mr Farron’s campaign argued that the party was gaining a lot from being in government but was not getting the credit it deserved.
“My focus will be to inspire Liberal Democrat members to be proud of our party, to work their socks off for the coming electoral contests and the AV referendum, and to inspire a new generation of members and activists to believe that they can make a difference by joining us,” Mr Farron said on his campaign website.
His victory over Ms Kramer may have something to do with the critical tone he has taken on several issues. He is seen in Westminster as a malcontent who has been frustrated with many of the compromises of coalition.
The decision to raise the tuition fees cap to £9,000, which has seen the party leadership abandon a pre-election pledge to oppose all hikes outright, has seen him be particularly rebellious.
He continued his rebellious stance after Wednesday’s National Union of Studenst protest, saying: “I can see the work that Vince [Cable, business secretary] has done in moving the threshold and working to make the proposals more progressive but I still cannot vote for these plans – I simply made a promise to young people and their families only a few months ago.
“Having made a pledge, it’s important to me that I keep my word.”
Mr Farron won with 14,593 votes to Ms Kramer’s 12,950. Party leader Nick Clegg said he was “delighted” by the result, adding: “I look forward to working with our new president as he oversees the organisation and management of our party.”
