Tim Farron secures frontrunner status in bid to become Lib Dem leader

Tim Farron has moved quickly to secure his frontrunner status for the Liberal Democrat leadership, writing in The Independent on Sunday that the party needs “a fresh start” after a disastrous general election. The party now has only eight MPs, down from 57 in 2010, after the Lib Dems were battered by the electorate for its record in the coalition government.