Lib Dems elect coalition-sceptics
By Ian Dunt
There was dramatic evidence that the tide within the Liberal Democrats was hardening against the Tories over the weekend, when two prominent sceptics of the coalition agreement topped a poll for the federal executive.
Dr Evan Harris has stressed that the party must base all future coalition calculations solely on “arithmetic” and “policy overlap”.
“Any post-election partnership working should be based purely on the arithmetic and on the policy overlap and that policy work should derived totally independently of the views of our coalition partners,” he said.
Dr Harris also said the party needed to “distance ourselves from Conservative policies that have been imposed on our ministers”.
David Rendel, the only Lib Dem MP to vote against the coalition in May, came second in the executive, which establishes management and strategy for the party.
“The amount of support I received in these elections demonstrates that the mainstream of the party’s grassroots is overwhelmingly socially progressive and, while supporting the coalition, wants the differences between the coalition parties more clearly identified,” he said.
“Nick Clegg should know that while the party mainstream supports him, these election results demonstrate that they want to help him resist more effectively Tory-initiated policies which are not in the coalition agreement and which are antithetical to Liberal Democrat policies and principles.”
The election marks a partial return for Dr Harris, a popular and prominent figure in the party whose failure to retain his seat by just 176 votes at the general election shocked the leadership.
The former science spokesman has remained prolific since leaving office, writing extensively on Twitter and on science policy for the Guardian.
The move comes as expected tuition fee rebel Tim Farron was elected Lib Dem president.
