Ex-Health Minister bids for Lib Dem leadership
Ex-Health Minister Norman Lamb has confirmed that he will run for leadership of the Liberal Democrats, as the contest looks likely to be a two-horse race.
The Liberal Democrats have been left leaderless and aimless as they try and reassess who they are and what they stand for. The party was slaughtered at the general election as their tally of MPs was decimated from 57 to a meager 8. They are no longer Britain’s third biggest party by membership of MPs, that crown belongs to the Scottish National Party.
Many believe the Liberal Democrats did so poorly because the voters wanted to punish Nick Clegg for betraying them on student fees and getting into bed with the Tories. But Normal Lamb believes he has what it takes to lead the Liberal Democrats into a post-Clegg era, trying to regain the trust of members and the electorate. He did vote in favour of raising tuition fees and sounds like he regrets that decision. He said, "I believe very strongly that we have now learned a massive lesson, an extremely painful one. But I don't think we will ever make that mistake again."
However, Lamb is also adamant that its time to move on and to embrace change. He said "obviously the party suffered devastating results last Thursday. It's critically important that we reconnect and…have an effective advocate for what modern liberalism is all about."
His main challenger looks likely to be the mild mannered and affable Tim Farron who many consider to be the front-runner. Farron voted against the tuition fee increase and he was not part of the coalition government with the Tories. Many analysts believe that if Farron is not elected and the Liberal Democrats opt for Lamb, they could be spending a generation in the wilderness.
LM/HA
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