Nick Clegg was today elected the new leader of the Liberal Democrats. 

In his acceptance speech he thanked Chris Huhne for the energy with which he fought the campaign, he paid tribute to Vince Cable and Menzies Campbell for their leadership skills, and he thanked all those who supported him over the last few weeks. 

He promised to fight for the rebirth of liberal Britain and vowed to reach out to voters.

"If you once voted Lib Dem but think we’ve spent too much time focusing on ourselves; if you once voted Conservative but don’t know what they stand for any more; if you once voted Labour but feel let down after ten years of disappointment; if you’ve given up voting altogether, but still care about the world we live in: then a newly united, energetic, optimistic Liberal Democrat party is there for you."

See below for the full text of the speech.