Tim Farron names spokesperson team to lead party’s fightback

Tim Farron today set about ending the Liberal Democrats' lack diversity at the top of the party - by naming the most diverse shadow cabinet team in the party's history.

The new Lib Dem leader announced a spokesperson team including 12 women and 10 men to lead the fight back against the Tory government. There are six members of the House of Commons, 10 from the House of Lords and six are neither.

Tim also chose a team from both inside Parliament and out, from across the United Kingdom, and from people who served in Government and those who didn't.

Leader of the Liberal Democrats Tim Farron MP said:

"I am delighted to be able to announce my team of party spokespeople. The team I am announcing today is the Liberal voice that Britain desperately needs.

"It features some of the best campaigners that the party has, balanced with the experience and economic credibility that our party has developed over the last five years in government.

"It was important to me to be able to call on the advice and experience of people at all levels of our party and I believe we have an excellent team to lead the Lib Dem fight back.

"Together, we will take our ideas, our values and our liberal messages to every corner of Britain. We will make the case for housing, immigration, Europe, environmentalism and human rights."

The full spokesperson team is:

• Leader: Tim Farron MP
• Economics: Baroness Susan Kramer
• Foreign Affairs/Chief Whip/Leader of the house: Tom Brake MP
• Defence: Baroness Judith Jolly
• Home Affairs: Alistair Carmichael MP
• Health: Norman Lamb MP
• Education: John Pugh MP
• Work and Pensions: Baroness Zahida Manzoor
• Business: Lorely Burt
• Energy and Climate Change: Lynne Featherstone
• Local Government: Mayor of Watford, Cllr Dorothy Thornhill
• Transport: Baroness Jenny Randerson
• Environment and Rural Affairs: Baroness Kate Parminter
• International Development: Baroness Lindsay Northover
• Culture Media and Sport: Baroness Jane Bonham-Carter
• Equalities: Baroness Meral Hussein-Ece
• Justice/Attorney General: Lord Jonathan Marks
• Northern Ireland: Lord John Alderdice
• Scotland: Willie Rennie MSP, Leader of the Scottish Liberal Democrats
• Wales: Kirsty Williams AM, Leader of the Welsh Liberal Democrats
• Campaigns Chair: Greg Mullholland MP
• Grassroots Campaigns: Cllr Tim Pickstone, Chair of the Association of Liberal Democrat Councillors

For portfolios which are covered by spokespeople not sitting in either the House of Lords or Commons, a wider spokesperson list for each House has been allocated by the Chief Whips to cover relevant debates.

Nick Clegg was offered a post in Tim's spokesperson team, but decided after some consideration that he wanted to take a quieter role on the back benches and would not be taking a spokesperson position at this time.