“We are not the party of vested interests. We are a party that sees the best in people, not the worst; we’re the party that believes the role of government is to help us be the best we can be – no matter who we are or what is our background. That is it. That. Is. It!”

After a cleanly-fought battle between two  excellent candidates and 27 hustings across the country, the Liberal Democrats have an inspirational new leader in Tim Farron, who declares himself “fed up of self-satisfied politicians, ambitious for themselves and unambitious for their country.”

Tim has had a working life outside politics AND is the first major party leader in 18 years to have been a councillor before becoming an MP (he’s  represented constituents as Borough, District and County Councillor over 15 years), and sees Westminster  as “only one brick in the governance of this country”. No Westminster bubble for him!

Tim concedes ‘we have no automatic right to bounce back’ but  pledges a fightback that will start immediately – “ward by ward, seat by seat, council by council”, valuing fully the grassroots, and the local membership. Already, the Lib Dems have increased our membership by a third since  May. Tim expects it to reach 100,000.

Significantly, on the same day Tim was elected, the LibDems celebrated THREE by-election wins, gaining over 50% of the vote in each case – retainingKingston Upon Thames, while  winning Llay (Wrexam) from Labour, and Battle Town (Rother) from the Conservatives.

And considering the threat to the Human Rights Act, to social housing, to grants for poor students etc etc etc – all the issues that have popped out of the woodwork in the two months since the Conservatives were elected -Tim is the ideal person to focus the liberal beliefs  that so many people in this country hold!

I was on BBC Radio Suffolk on the morning of the 17th to express what I felt about Tim’s election. They quoted me : I am so, so proud he is leading us!