A SOUTH Cumbria MP and leader of the Liberal Democrats has spoken of his party being 'back in the political big time' after an impressive swing in last night's Witney by-election.

Tim Farron, MP for Westmorland and Lonsdale, has said the result, which saw his party's share of the vote in David Cameron's former constituency rise from seven per cent to 30 per cent, was the start of the Lib Dem comeback.

At the 2015 general election, the party lost 48 seats and former leader Nick Clegg resigned from the role.

Mr Tim Farron hailed the Witney result, which propelled his party from fourth to second place, as a return to the "political big time."

He said: "The result not only signals that the Liberal Democrats are back in the political big time and the return to three-party politics, it is a clear rejection of the Conservative Brexit government's plan to take Britain out of the single market.

"This was the tenth safest Tory seat in the country with a massive 25,000 majority, yet the Conservatives were seriously rattled.

"They are riding high in the polls, but my sense is that has largely been because people did not feel there was a real opposition to the Conservative Brexit government.

"Witney proves there is now a real opposition, and that opposition is the Liberal Democrats."

Witney by-election

Robert Courts - Conservative - 17,313 votes - 45.02% (-15.17%)

Liz Leffman - Liberal Democrat - 11,611 votes - 30.19% (+23.43%)

Duncan Enright - Labour - 5,765 votes - 14.99% (-2.19%)

Larry Sanders - Green - 1,363 votes - 3.54% (-1.53%)

Dickie Bird - Ukip - 1,354 votes - 3.52% (-5.63%)