A SOUTH Cumbria MP has congratulated Ed Davey for his win in the Liberal Democrat leadership race.

Tim Farron, the MP for the South Lakes area, said he was 'delighted' with the result, after having publicly endorsed Mr Davey earlier in the summer.

It was announced this morning that the MP for Kingston and Surbiton had won out decisively against competitor, Layla Moran.

The acting leader will now take over on a permanent basis after beating the MP for Oxford West.

He secured 63.5 per cent of the vote, almost doubling the 36.5 per cent share of participating members who opted for Ms Moran.

While Ms Moran's appeal was angled towards centre-left voters, Mr Davey represents a more centrist candidature which will aim to mop up 'moderate Conservative' voters disillusioned by Boris Johnson's administration.

Mr Davey appeared to hold the lion's share of support among Liberal Democrat members and representatives in south Cumbria earlier this month.

Commenting on this morning’s announcement that Mr Davey had been elected leader of the Liberal Democrats, Westmorland and Lonsdale MP and former party leader, Mr Farron, said: “I’m delighted to welcome Ed Davey as the new leader of our party.

“Leadership elections are long and tough contests, and I want to pay tribute to Layla Moran who has run a really energetic campaign.

“Ed is a fantastic campaigner who has the experience and vision to move our party forward.

“Most importantly, though, Ed knows how to win, and it’s only by winning seats that we can change people’s lives for the better.”