Sir Ed Davey has won the race to become the new leader of the Liberal Democrats, defeating rival MP Layla Moran.
Davey, MP for Kingston and Surbiton since 2017 and the party’s Acting Leader since December 2019, won with 63.5% of party members’ votes to Moran’s 36.5%.
Writing on their Facebook page, Oxford University Liberal Democrats welcomed Davey’s win, calling him a “dedicated and tireless campaigner” and adding that both candidates ran “exemplary campaigns”.
The statement added that Davey “will be strong in holding the government to account for its failures and setting out the Lib Dem vision for the recovery”.
Lastly, OULD said, “we also look forward to continuing to campaign with Layla Moran here in Oxford. She has shown herself to be a powerful voice as a local MP, and we hope to keep working alongside her for many years to come”.
Davey also served as Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change between 2012 and 2015, under David Cameron’s coalition government.
Meanwhile, Moran was elected MP for Oxford West and Abingdon in the June 2017 snap general election and was appointed as the party’s Education spokesperson shortly after.
The leadership election was triggered by the resignation of former party leader Jo Swinson, who lost her seat of East Dunbartonshire to the SNP at the general election, despite the Liberal Democrats increasing their national vote share by over 4%.
The candidates’ leadership campaigns had been conducted online due to the need to maintain social distancing throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
Davey is the fourth new Liberal Democrat leader since 2015, and will seek to revive the party’s fortunes after low polling numbers throughout the coronavirus crisis.