Catherine Bearder re-elected as MEP

Following the re-election of Catherine Bearder MEP, the Lib Dem member of the European parliament for South East England, commented:

"I'm delighted to be elected to represent the people of the South East once again.

"It was a disappointing night and a bad result for the party but we knew that this election would be difficult. I'm truly sorry to have lost some excellent Lib Dem colleagues.

"The Liberal Democrats fought a strong campaign driven by our values as a party, that is at its core is unashamedly pro-European. It was always going to be difficult trying to overcome so many decades of anti-European sentiment but we do not regret it and remain proud of our principles.

"Voters across Europe have sent a strong anti-EU message but where other parties have sought to exploit people's fears we have continued to make a positive case for the importance of staying in the EU.

"The General Election will be fought on our record in Government and these results do not change the fact that we've delivered an economic recovery, cut income tax for 24 million people, helped business create 1.6m jobs and made more apprenticeships possible than ever. All things that would never have been possible without the Lib Dems in government.

"I want to thank everyone who worked so hard to ensure my reelection and will continue to work to represent all the South East in the European parliament."