Miranda Green
Tim Farron’s departure was not a happy, dignified one. Hustled into going by the first stirrings of a putsch, he issued a lengthy farewell statement just as the horror of the Grenfell Tower fire was becoming clear. The timing was not his choice, his team insisted. The respectable Lib Dem showing on election night should have meant a measured handover— Farron can be proud that he delivered 12 MPs, up from the eight seats won in 2015.