History will be kind to ‘principled’ Nick Clegg, says Tim Farron
BREXIT has led to a reappraisal of Nick Clegg in the eyes of the public, his successor as Liberal Democrat leader suggested.
Tim Farron: History will be kind to Nick Clegg
Tim Farron said he had always believed history would be kind to the former deputy prime minister, who led the Liberal Democrats into government and then to electoral disaster.
"We would not be in this mess now if Nick Clegg was still deputy prime minister," he said.
In 2015, the Lib Dems were reduced to a rump of just eight MPs and Mr Clegg was left a broken figure after five years in government, with voters punishing the Lib Dems for joining the coalition with the Tories and breaking their totemic pledge on university tuition fees.
Tim Farron believes the public view Mr Clegg more positively since Brexit
But Mr Farron said the electorate was now much more sympathetic to Mr Clegg, the Lib Dems' Brexit spokesman.
Asked if he had been rehabilitated in the opinion of voters, Mr Farron said: "I often said this during the height of the opposition we received during our time in coalition, that Nick Clegg would be very, very well regarded by history; history would be kind to him and unkind to David Cameron.
Nick Clegg: Government's stubborn stance is sign of weakness
Nick Clegg's reputation was smashed when he allowed the Conservatives to raise tuition fees
Nick has been such a forceful voice for us on Brexit
"I think I am already proven right on both counts.
"It's not just that Nick has been such a forceful voice for us on Brexit, it's actually the simple fact that two years after the end of the coalition it's now blindingly obvious the good things he did and we did.
"We would not be in this mess now if Nick Clegg was still deputy prime minister, for instance.
The Lib Dem leader believes the history books will smile on Nick Clegg
"I absolutely think that my great sense is there is a serious reappraisal of Nick Clegg in the eyes of the electorate.
"Whether people agree with him or not, I think people see him as a principled person who put up with a very difficult period of time, led the party well, was an important part of the leadership of the country, protected the vulnerable, made sure we were the greenest government ever and, indeed, prevented for five years the mess the Tories have got us into."