The Lib-Dem leader was also expected to signal a move towards adopting a Blairite “Third Way” in the centre ground of British politics.
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He went on to tell PA:”I don’t go making pronouncements on theological matters”.
Sometimes you watch a politician say something and instantly get a preview of a future election campaign – particularly when they’ve just said, on camera, something which will be used against them again and again.
“But there is more to Tony Blair’s legacy than that”.
“This government wants us to forget this crisis, it’s too hard to solve, too risky to take a lead”.
Describing a “determination” among supporters to rebuild the party, he said: “People want us to pick ourselves up and fight on and the challenge of this conference is to continue to build the Lib Dem narrative”.
He said he “believed in working across party lines”, but he “couldn’t work with Jeremy Corbyn, because Jeremy Corbyn would never work with me”.
“Now, I don’t know Owen Smith that well”.
Mr Farron is hoping his party – which has only eight MPs – can rebuild after its drubbing at the General Election – by picking up the votes of some of the disgruntled 48% of people who wanted to Remain.
It is therefore his first conference; so how’s he finding it?
“I don’t think most people out there are interested in that”.
“It does not necessarily need to be a new amalgam party overnight”.
“It’s got some legs”, in terms of getting the centre-left voice out there more, he says, but he has “serious doubts” about whether it would work.
Lib Dem leader Tim Farron has said he doesn’t understand why people still ask him whether he thinks gay sex is a sin.
Of course, to be fair, Liam Fox did not undermine British business overseas or demoralise British business at home, because he could only have achieved those things if anyone actually took him seriously.
But it should not be “merging” with any other parties as it risked “compromising our individual position”. “It’s very tough for anybody in any party to say any tax should go up”, she said.
“That would be quite idealistic to think”, she says.
“We can’t start this process with democracy and end it with a stitch-up”, he said. The British government has a plan…obviously we’re not telling anyone what that plan is because its a secret! On the spousal veto, I think it’s an appalling thing that one person is allowed to block another person’s freedom. “Oh. that tells you how long”.
Well, I am proud but the world looks aghast at us now.
Some of the Lib Dem malaise can be explained by recent history.
The attack will come as former health minister Norman Lamb announces plans for a panel of medical experts to consider the case for a special wage levy to fund the NHS and report back to the Lib Dems on their findings in six months’ time.
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“We are distinctly Liberal Democrats and that’s the way Liberal Democrats should be”.
