Tim Farron has expressed “regret” at saying gay sex is not a sin.
The former Lib Dem leader told Premier Christian Radio he “foolishly and wrongly” caved in to pressure during his party’s General Election campaign and that he actually believes his statement “was not right”.
Farron was first quizzed about his views on homosexuality by Channel 4′s Cathy Newman in 2015 and then by numerous other reporters before the June vote.
After a question from a Tory MP in the Commons, Farron was forced to say he did not think gay sex was a sin. He now appears to have rowed back from that position.
Asked about the issue by Premier, Farron said: “The bottom line is, of course, I did [feel pressured] and there are things - including that - that I said that I regret.
“All they wanted to do is talk about my Christian beliefs and what they actually meant.
“Foolishly and wrongly, [I] attempted to push it away by giving an answer that, frankly, was not right.”
Farron also said he felt friendless during the controversy, adding: “I know that others were praying for me but there is a sense in which I was isolated.
“I had a wonderful team around me at HQ but with one exception, there were no Christians; it was not their fault they didn’t understand the issue.”
Two months after the election, Farron resigned as leader, claiming he felt “torn” between his faith and his role at the top of the party.
At the time, he said: “A better, wiser person than me may have been able to deal with this more successfully, to have remained faithful to Christ while leading a political party in the current environment.”