Tory Lord Tebbit defends ‘bullied’ Tim Farron over ‘is gay sex a sin’ debacle

Conservative peer Lord Tebbit has defended Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron who he says was “bullied” during a period when he refused to answer whether gay sex is a sin.

Lord Tebbit, who was fiercely opposed to legislation to legalise same-sex marriage, and has made anti-trans comments in the past.

The former Chairman of the Conservative Party under Margaret Thatcher, was also a vocal supporter of Section 28, which banned the ‘promotion’ of homosexuality in schools.

In a column for the Telegraph, Lord Tebbit defends Mr Farron, saying he “had been unmercifully bullied on suspicion that as a Christian he might take the words of the Bible rather than those of The Gay Liberation Front as his guide.”

He refers to a series of interview questions asked to Mr Farron asking whether, as a Christian, he thought gay sex was sinful.

The Lib Dem leader eventually said in an interview that he did not think gay sex was sinful.

Lord Tebbit also attacked not for the first time, measures to teach about gender diversity in schools.

In defending grammar schools, he adds: “My brothers and I, like many others in pre-war Britain had primary teachers who did do something. They did not bang on about gender misalignment. They taught us to reason, to read, write and to handle numbers and quantities.”

Lord Tebbit was one of the staunchest opponents of the government’s decision to legalise same-sex marriage under David Cameron.

He said that the former PM had “f**ked things up” by introducing same-sex marriage, as it would lead to incestuous or polygamous marriage.

The peer claimed: “We’ve got to make these same-sex marriages available to all. It would lift my worries about inheritance tax because maybe I’d be allowed to marry my son. Why not?

“Why shouldn’t a mother marry her daughter? Why shouldn’t two elderly sisters living together marry each other? I quite fancy my brother!”

The peer also argued that gay people are not currently discriminated against as a gay man has the same right to marry a woman as he does.

Last year, he claimed materials created for LGBT-inclusive sex and relationship education would “damage” and confuse children.

Lord Tebbit is not the first to defend Tim Farron over the ‘gay sex is a sin’ issue, after his childhood best friend, who is gay, came to his defence.

The Archbishop of York also said he was “not qualified” to say whether gay sex is a sin.

• Nov 29 2023

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