The former Archbishop of Canterbury, Baron Williams of Oystermouth, has questioned the Liberal Democrats' position on religious beliefs amid legal action by a former parliamentary candidate who claims he was deselected because of his Christian faith.
David Campanale is taking legal action against the party for alleged breaches of the Equality Act 2010 after he was deselected as the candidate for Sutton and Cheam and replaced by Luke Taylor.
In legal documents submitted to the county court, the Lib Dems defended its actions, claiming that Campanale's "expressed religious beliefs against abortion, gay marriage and legal sex change conflicted with the fundamental values set out" in the party's constitutional documents.
Baron Williams questioned whether a Christian or other person of faith could represent the party.
In comments to The Telegraph, he said the party's stance in its court filings suggested that "total agreement in private and in public is demanded".
"The Liberal Democrat Party's response to Campanale's legal challenge has been to say that reservations about - for example - abortion or same-sex marriage are in conflict with 'fundamental values' held by the party," Williams told the newspaper.
"If it is indeed impossible even to hold dissenting views, this ought to make it impossible for Orthodox Jews and most Muslims as well as Catholic and other Christians to represent the party. Is this really what the Lib Dems are saying?
"You may or may not agree with the personal beliefs of David Campanale – I share some but by no means all of them – but the precedent is a worrying one."
Lib Dem leader Sir Ed Davey has previously said that some issues like abortion and euthanasia must remain "issues of conscience", and that the right of MPs to vote freely on the basis of religious or ethical concerns "must be defended".
