Lib Dem leader Tim Farron now refuses to say whether gay sex is a sin – WATCH
By Will Stroude
Tim Farron has been criticised once again after refusing to say whether he believes gay sex is a sin.
The Liberal Democrat leader, who is a practising Christian but supports LGBT equality, came under fire earlier this week after refusing to tell a reporter whether he believed homosexuality was a sin.
Farron later clarified that he did not think being was a sin after being pressed on the issue in parliament, but appearing on ITV’s Peston on Sunday this morning (April 23), he dodged a question about whether he thought gay sex itself was a sin.
Host Robert Peston asked: “In the Observer today they asked you; you said homosexuality, not a sin. They say you didn’t answer when they asked you whether gay sex was a sin.”
Farron replied: “I’ve been asked this question loads of times over the last few days, and I’ve been clear: being gay is not a sin.”
.@LibDems leader @timfarron responds to “ludicrous” claims that he is a homophobe #Peston pic.twitter.com/ut7fzVjw5g
— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) April 23, 2017
Pressed on whether that meant gay sex was also not a sin, Farron said: “It’s possible I’m not the only person who’se getting tired of this line of questioning.”
Peston then asked “Why don’t you just close it down by being unambiguous?” to which Farron told him: “In America it appears you have to invent a faith in order to be seen to be a serious candidate, and in this country maybe it appears you have to pretend you haven’t got one to be taken seriously.
He added: “Can I just point out, possibly even slightly impatiently, that both those standpoints are utterly ludicrous.”
Farron’s comments were quickly jumped on by fellow MPs Liz Kendall and Michael Gove, who were also appearing on the show as guests.
.@leicesterliz and @michaelgove are united in condemning @timfarron‘s failure to say that gay sex is not a sin #Peston pic.twitter.com/6yQte4o29l
— Peston on Sunday (@pestononsunday) April 23, 2017
“I think a lot of people will be appalled that he could bring himself to say that gay sex was not a sin,” said Labour MP Kendall. “I think that’s pretty offensive and will rightly anger a lot of people..”
Conservative MP and former Justice Secretary Gove added: “I agree with Liz; it would have been perfectly possible of him to say ‘of course it’s not a sin, it’s how people love each other.’
“I’m a church-goer too and I have no problem in saying gay sex is absolutely not a sin.”
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