Ed Davey urged the Liberal Democrats to “wake up and smell the coffee”, as he was declared his party’s fourth leader in five years after a string of poor general election performances.
Davey, who has been acting leader since last December, was a cabinet minister in the 2010-2015 coalition government. He beat his rival, Layla Moran, by 42,756 votes to 24,564.
In a livestreamed acceptance speech, Davey said: “My job, as from today, is to rebuild the Lib Dems to national relevance.”
He said the Lib Dems were “powerful advocates locally”, but on the national stage “we have to face the facts of three disappointing general election results”.
“Voters don’t believe the Lib Dems want to help ordinary people get on in life,” he said. “Voters don’t believe we share their values. And voters don’t believe we are on the side of people like them. Voters have been sending us a message, but we have not been listening. It is time for us to start listening,” he said. “I am listening now.”
He said he would travel the UK in the coming weeks, adding: “I will face up to uncomfortable truths, and I will make your concerns my own.”
Davey stressed his ministerial experience and commitment to tackling climate change during a drawn-out campaign.
The contest was initially shelved for a year as a result of the coronavirus pandemic, before being rescheduled for the summer.
Davey’s predecessor Jo Swinson expanded the parliamentary party with defections from Labour. She fought the 2019 general election claiming to be a potential prime minister, but ended the campaign with just 11 MPs, losing her own seat to the SNP in the process.
Moran, 37, was a teacher before entering parliament in 2016. She is currently the Lib Dem education spokesperson, and had been expected to shift the party to the left if she won.