Tim Farron, the party's leader, was re-elected in his Westmorland and Lonsdale constituency with a significantly reduced majority.

He announced he would step down as party leader on 14 June 2017, a week after the election, citing difficulty in reconciling his faith and his leadership.

[2] He remained as party leader until the 20 July, when he was succeeded by Vince Cable following an uncontested leadership election.

[2] The timetable for the leadership election was determined by the party's Federal Executive, under Article 17.4 of the Liberal Democrat constitution.

[11] He declined to stand, and explained his decision in an article in The Guardian, calling for the party to better engage with those who voted for Brexit.

[13] Following Davey's announcement, The Guardian observed: "Nominations do not close until next month, but Cable is the only candidate to have declared and there is no other Lib Dem MP seen as having the potential to beat him in a contest".