Scottish Liberal Democrats leader Willie Rennie, and Welsh Liberal Democrats leader Kirsty Williams, have today endorsed Tim Farron to be the next leader of the federal Liberal Democrats.

In a joint statement, they said:

Thursday’s results were devastating for the Liberal Democrats.

Our pain is eased by the knowledge that our liberal gains in government will endure.

Despite our loss our party remains optimistic, hopeful and confident about what we can achieve on behalf of Britain.

However, we now have to earn the right to be listened to again.

To move forward we need a fresh start. With that in mind we call on Tim Farron to stand to be our next Federal Leader. We believe he is the right person to rebuild our Party, inspire and lead us into next year’s election campaigns. We will wholeheartedly support him if he decides to put himself forward.

Tim is a committed liberal, a brilliant communicator, an outstanding campaigner and an inspirational leader.

With him as leader we can show that we are a compassionate, tolerant, internationalist, reformist party that looks beyond sectional interest to the greater good, to our children’s future not just ours, that believes in partnership home and abroad not division, that is liberal and democratic.

We urge Tim to step up and lead our party to recovery.