Town council leader welcomes result of national Lib Dem leadership ballot

Godalming Town Council Leader and Liberal Democrat Paul Follows has welcomed news of the seletion of Sir Ed Davey as the new party leader.

Sir Ed, who has been acting leader since last December, was announced as the winner of the ballot this morning, beating Layla Moran by 42,756 votes to 24,564.

In his acceptance speech, which was livestreamed, Sir Ed said: "My job, as from today, is to rebuild the Lib Dems to national relevance."

He said that while the Lib Dems were "powerful advocates locally", nationally "we have to face the facts of three disappointing general election results".

Cllr Follows, who is also deputy leader of Waverley Borough Council, told Nub News: "I very much welcome the election of Sir Ed Davey as the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, who I was proud to support in his campaign.

"I am sure there will be a good post for Layla Moran in his team, who ran a good campaign and is a voice the party needs for the future.

"It is my hope that the Liberal Democrats nationally can start to build on the trust that I hope we have earned locally."