The Liberal Democrats have begun a review into how it treats people of faith within the party.
The review follows the costly David Campanale debacle in which the Christian candidate was deselected and allegedly told that the Lib Dems were a “secular party”.
Campanale was deselected as the party's prospective MP candidate for Sutton and Cheam, and replaced by Luke Taylor MP ahead of the 2024 general election. Mr Taylor is still the Lib Dem MP for Sutton and Cheam.
Campanale, a lay Anglican and former BBC journalist, launched legal action after an alleged two-year campaign against him by local party members and LGBT activists. In the complaint, Campanale alleged that he had been “mocked and abused in relation to his beliefs”.
After a four-year legal battle, the party admitted unlawful religious discrimination and agreed to pay legal costs. The case is ongoing as Campanale and the party have yet to come to an agreement on damages.
The Guardian has now reported that in response to the incident the Lib Dems have appointed Richard Newby, the party’s former leader in the House of Lords, to review how the party deals with people of different faiths.
The Campanale case is not the first time concerns have been raised about the Lib Dems' inclusiveness when it comes to the Christian faith.
From 2015 to 2017 the party was led by Tim Farron, who has made no secret of the importance of Christianity to his life. Farron stepped down after just two years in the job, stating that leading the party had become incompatible with his Christian faith, with homosexuality being the flashpoint.
Former Lib Dem minister Simon Hughes told the Guardian that the party review could not and should not be solely related to Campanale’s case. However, he said he “welcomed” the review saying, “I believe it will allow the party to meet one of the two big objectives which David, [the] Lib Dem Christian Forum, I and others were seeking.”
Hughes indicated he would conduct a separate review following the conclusion of the Campanale case.
