Ming Campbell elected Liberal Democrat Leader

9.08.41pm GMT Thu 2nd Mar 2006

Ming Campbell celebrates his election as leader of the Liberal Democrats (Photo by Alex Folkes / LDDPics)

In a high turnout ballot of over 72% of the Liberal Democrat's 73,000 members, Party members have voted to elect Sir Ming Campbell MP as Leader. Sir Ming was applauded by both his rivals Chris Huhne MP and Party President Simon Hughes MP who pledged their loyalty and commitment to his leadership.

A former Olympic athlete who captained the Great Britain team and held the 100 metres UK record, Sir Ming is a leading barrister and formidable performer in the House of Commons. The BBC profile of Sir Ming describes him as an "approachable man with a natural sense of humour and sharp wit" with a "formidable grasp of his foreign affairs brief" who "regularly put the Government on the spot over the war on Iraq". He was also a "loyal and effective deputy" to former Leader Charles Kennedy.

With backing from the majority of Liberal Democrat MPs and members of the House of Lords from the start of his campaign, Ming entered the leadership election as favourite to win it. He came through with 45% of the first preference votes despite highly effective campaigns from Chris Huhne, who polled 32% and Simon Hughes with 23%. When Simon Hughes votes were redistributed in accordance with their second preferences a majority went to Ming who ran out winner with 57% to Chris Huhne's 43%.

Many liberal Democrat party members will be looking forward to hearing Ming's first speech as leader when the Party's Spring Conference starts in Harrogate on Friday 3rd March and to greeting the newest liberal Democrat MP, Willie Rennie who snatched the previously safe Labour seat of Dunfermline and Fife West, a parliamentary constituency that lies close to Sir Ming's North East Fife seat.