Norman Lamb confirms Lib Dem leadership bid

Norman Lamb said he spoke to friends and family before deciding to stand

Former Health Minister Norman Lamb has confirmed he will run for the leadership of the Liberal Democrats.

The Norfolk North MP said he had "never shrunk away from a challenge" and that he wanted to work to restore trust in the party "undermined" in recent years.

Nick Clegg quit as leader after his party was left with eight MPs and a new leader will be elected in July.

The party's former president, Tim Farron, is also seen as one of the frontrunners to become leader.

Mr Lamb, who held his seat with a reduced majority of 4,043, said the general election had been "absolutely punishing" for his party.

'Effective advocate'

He told BBC Look East he made his decision to stand after "an awful lot" of soul-searching in a period of "complete exhaustion" after the election.

But he concluded he should do it, he said, as "obviously the party suffered devastating results last Thursday. It's critically important that we reconnect and... have an effective advocate for what modern liberalism is all about."

He added: "As health minister I put body and soul into it and I would do the same for this job."

Tim Farron is regarded as a frontrunner to succeed Nick Clegg

Mr Lamb told Radio 4's Today programme the public's confidence in his party had been severely damaged by its decision to go back on a pledge, made before the 2010 election, to oppose any increase in university tuition fees.

Mr Lamb voted in favour of the increase in fees to £9,000 in December 2010 when he was a whip in the Conservative-Lib Dem coalition government.

"Trust for me is critically important and that debacle massively undermined people's trust in the party," Mr Lamb said.

"I believe very strongly that we have now learned a massive lesson, an extremely painful one. But I don't think we will ever make that mistake again."

The Liberal Democrats have set in motion a two-month contest to succeed Mr Clegg after they said a new leader would be elected in July.

'Anger into action'

Mr Farron, who voted against the tuition fees increase, said his party must "turn our anger into action" and rebuild from the bottom upwards. He said he felt a sense of anger the election had been fought "on the politics of fear".

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today programme, Mr Farron added: "When one looks back at the election and you realise that the best asset David Cameron has is the SNP and the best asset the SNP has is David Cameron."

It was an election fought on the basis of people being terrified of the other, he said.

"Fear is a hugely motivating factor in elections, I'm sad to report."

Nominations for leader will open on 13 May and close on 3 June. Ballot papers will be sent out on 24 June and must be returned by 15 July. The winner will be declared on 16 July.