The Lib Dems are facing a members’ revolt over the decision to allow a Tory MP with a poor record on LGBT rights to join the party and is accused of being a homophobe and xenophobe.
Phillip Lee dramatically crossed the floor on Tuesday over Brexit, costing the government its majority and bolstering the liberals’ ranks ahead of crucial votes on stopping no-deal.
But their new MP is a longstanding skeptic on same-sex marriage, and also ran a campaign to bar people with HIV from being able to come to the UK.
Jennie Rigg, who chaired Liberal Democrats LGBT caucus, quit the Lib Dems upon hearing the news, describing Mr Lee as “a homophobe, a xenophobe, and someone who thinks people should be barred from the country if they are ill”.
Statement from LGBT+ Liberal Democrats following the defection of Phillip Lee today pic.twitter.com/TkOI13I6l9
— LGBT+ Lib Dems (@LGBTLD) September 3, 2019
Jennie Rigg, who goes by the name of miss_s_b on her blog page wrote:
“I thought the Lib Dems were not a single issue party,” she said. “I thought we had a soul and principles.”
I’m feeling devastated
The powers that be have let Philip Lee in.A homophobe, a xenophobe, and someone who thinks people should be barred from the country if they are ill.
Fuck this.
Fuck this so hard.I thought the Lib Dems were not a single issue party.
I thought we had a soul and principles.
But apparently as long as you are on the right side on brexit we’ll take you.Well, I’m sorry, but no.
It doesn’t matter if we already have others as bad. You don’t make bad things better by adding more bad things. It doesn’t matter that he will increase our numbers in parliament by ONE. He thinks me and people like me are a lower class of human. I will not share a party with him.
I know you only get to do this once. I know I am ripping up almost my entire social life here. I know I am causing a lot of people a lot of organisational difficulties. And I’m sorry for all that. But there are some principles I will not compromise.
Sorry.
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