Norman Baker, MP for Lewes has resigned as Minister of State at the Home Office after a series of policy disagreements with The Home Secretary, Theresa May.
THE RESIGNATION follows his call at the end of last week for the Government to radically rethink its drugs policy following publication of a major new Goverment report that found tough criminal sentences for drug users makes no difference to the rates of drug use.
Mr Baker told Sky News today that he had been considering his position for some time and feels he needs a break. He said: “Four and a half years of Ministerial Office is a long, long time and is particularly onerous when your the only Lib Dem in the Departments you have been in for those four and a half years in coalition Government.
“I just don’t think we always have to cling to office as Ministers. If we think there is a time to go, theres a time to go. I want a break, to spend more time with my family, more time in my constituency more time doing stuff I want to do like my music.”
Pressed on how much a factor was his bad relations with Home Secretary, Theresa May, he said: “I think it is disapointing the relations in the Home Office. I arrive determined to make it work to co-operate, and to make sure we had a good coalition relationship.
“I have a lot of time for the Home Secretary, she is a formidable, intelligent, competent Home Secretary, I respect her and admire her for that. The difficulty is that she believes she was running a Conservative Department for a Conservative Governernment and that Lib Dems were almost there by default and that did not make for good coalition relations. It was in stark contract to my three and a half years at the Department of Transport, where I think I worked very well with Ministers there.”
He added it had become difficult to carry on working with the Home Secretary because clearly he wanted to achieve what he could at the Home Office for the Lib Dems, adding: “I have been able to achieve quite a lot, but in terms of for example the drugs policy last week which was the first time in 43 years we had an evidence based drugs report and work on FGL animal experiments, it was like walking thorough mud. The Home Secretary was reluctant to let me have my head and there was a constant battle to try to get things through and I think thats unfortunate. I thinks its unfortunate not just for the Home Office but also for the Government.”
Chris Bowers, Lib Dem Parliamentary candidate for Brighton Pavilion and a friend of Mr Baker said: “Norman Baker’s decision to resign is a shame for the Government, but a boost for coalition. The whole point of a coalition is that you have two parties working together.”
“Norman is a great liberal, who was never at home with the Conservatives but fully accepted the need to work with people you spend your whole life opposing when the voters deliver a result that requires a coalition.
“He did his bit, but came up against intransigence among Conservative ministers. As such, he’s a considerable loss to the government, but he has stuck by his principles and stood up for coalition.”
Bowers who was Baker’s official aide at the 1997 general election is still a councillor in Lewes district.
He continued: “All the focus is on Norman’s drugs work, which means a lot to him, but I know he cares deeply about the environment and animal welfare, and it’s possible his biggest achievement at the Home Office will prove to be his work to help speed up the removal of animals in medical experimentation after years of foot-dragging by the pharmaceuticals industry.”
Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg said he understood and respected the reasons for Mr Baker standing down as a Minister adding: “He was an outstanding minister, but these things happen and I will be making an announcement shortly about who will be replacing him.”
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