The Guardian backs Tim Farron in leadership race

Following in the footsteps of New Statseman, The Independent and the Evening Standard comes The Guardian:

The Guardian view on a new Lib Dem leader: he must be hi-vis. That means Tim Farron…

Mr Farron’s strength is his non-religious evangelical capability – a readiness to champion unfashionable causes with infectious zeal: civil liberties, migrant rights, the EU and social housing. Support for that agenda exists in other parties but often diluted or dispensable…

It is Mr Farron who seems likelier to cut through to a wider audience and hold its attention. That may be the clinching qualification to lead a party that is now dangerously easy to ignore.

Oh and nice to say the following now. Shame about earlier…

The coming years of Conservative rule will apply a retrospective gloss to the moderating role the Lib Dems once had. They can be proud of this record, but cannot rely on it for electoral rehabilitation.

Keep up with news on the Lib Dem leadership race

• Sign up for Liberal Democrat Newswire here, and
• Sign up for the Facebook event for the contest (where Norman Lamb and Tim Farron are regularly answering questions from members).