Lib Dems' Best Result For Sixty Years

At St Ives and Brecon and Radnorshire on Friday morning they notched up their 28th and 29th gains - easily passing the post-war record of 23 seats gained in the 1983 general election by the SDP/Liberal Alliance.

The party leader, Paddy Ashdown, increased his majority in his own constituency. He said that the Liberal Democrats had been converted from a party of protest, into a party of government.

"With a shattered and demoralised Conservative Party we will expect to pay a positive role as a united and constructive opposition" he said.

Mr Ashdown said his party would be "fighting every second, every minute, every hour" for investment in education, and he looked forward to the next parliament as one of "historic reform".

"Constitutional reform"

Later he said he hoped his party would play a leading role in "a great Parliament of reform".

The "pleasing performance" would give it real strength to push the new parliament into pursuing fundamental constitutional change, he told Radio 4's Today programme.

"We are the largest force of Liberals and Liberal Democrats we have had since the days of Lloyd George," he said.

I think we should let the dust settle before we decide how we should play the next Parliament in the face of what is a seismic shift and the opening up of the possibility of a great Parliament of reform which will reinstitute and modernise Britain's constitution as we come up to the next century," added Mr Ashdown.

The Lib Dems won Harrogate and Knaresborough from the Tories with a swing of more than 15% - ending the hopes of the former chancellor, Norman Lamont.

There were also gains from the Tories outside of the Lib Dems' stronghold in the south west, including Sutton and Cheam, Edinburgh West - and a 19% swing from the Tories in Sheffield Hallam, won by Richard Allen.

Other successes include three more MP's in London; Southport won by Ronnie Fearn with a swing from Tory Matthew Banks; and Brian Cotter's success in Weston-Super-Mare over the Conservative Elizabeth Daly.

In another election tragedy for the Tories, the Foreign Office Minister Jeremy Hanley was a casualty of the Liberal Democrats' success in Richmond Park.

There was disappointment, however, for the party's Liz Lynne, in Rochdale, as she was beaten by Labour's Lorna Fitzsimons and by election winners Chris Davies in Oldham East and Saddleworth and Diana Maddock in Christchurch.