Tavish Scott, 42, won a 59% share of the vote

The Scottish Liberal Democrats have elected Tavish Scott as their new leader north of the border.

He secured 1,450 votes, representing a 59% share of the turnout. Ross Finnie polled 568 votes (21.3%), and Mike Rumbles won 439 votes (17.9%).

Mr Scott, 42, succeeds Nicol Stephen, who stepped down earlier this year to spend more time with his family.

The former transport minister and Shetland MSP was tipped to win, but not by such a big margin.

The three candidates took part in a series of political hustings during the summer.

Some 61% of Scottish party members voted by post to choose the new leader. The ballot papers were counted on Tuesday and the outcome declared a few hours later.

Speaking after the results were declared at Murrayfield Stadium in Edinburgh, Mr Scott said: "Thank you for this, the gold medal in the Lib Dem Olympics.

"I'm with Chris Hoy. I'm comfortable and confident in being part of a federal political party. Team Lib Dem - Scottish MPs, MSPs, MEPs and councillors across the country working together to build a stronger party, a stronger Scotland, and yes a stronger UK.

"Team Scott, as with our athletes, has only won because of the support staff. Like Chris Hoy, victory would not have been achieved without them."

LEADERSHIP RESULT Tavish Scott - 1,450 (59%) Ross Finnie - 568 (21.3%) Mike Rumbles - 439 (17.9%) Member turnout - 61% Profile: Tavish Scott Brian's Blog: A jolly occasion

Mr Scott predicted that by 2010 the SNP government in Scotland would not look as confident and sure-footed as it does now.

He said they would be seen as "arrogant, misguided, and politically dishonest".

SNP leader Alex Salmond and Labour Prime Minister Gordon Brown shared many similarities, Mr Scott said.

"Same tactics, same flaws, same admiration of Margaret Thatcher," he told Lib Dem party members.

He said his election was a "mandate for change".

"Change that locks in Liberal values. That's why we'll continue to make the case for protecting our environment, improving our public services and taking back our civil liberties."

Nick Clegg set out his vision for energy security at an offshore wind farm

Lib Dem leader Nick Clegg has unveiled plans for an "energy independent" Britain by 2050, which he says can be achieved by boosting renewable energy.

He is calling for a programme on the scale of the Apollo moon mission to end the UK's increasing dependence on foreign coal, gas and oil.

The government wants more nuclear energy, but he says wave, biomass, wind and solar power is the way forward.

The Tories say Mr Clegg's plans "defy reality" and "verge on the loopy".

Setting out the details on a visit to an offshore wind farm in the North Sea earlier, Mr Clegg said the crisis in Georgia had brought the problem of dependence on foreign energy sources into sharp relief.

'Enormous opportunity'

"Rather than use its period in office to reduce Britain's dependency on vulnerable supplies from unstable regions, Labour has dithered and flip-flopped for over a decade," he said.

He said there was an "enormous opportunity" to create energy independence through renewable energy, which he said was "realistic and achievable".

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But he said it would require "leadership and vision" and he accused the government of "tired thinking".

Energy security is high on the political agenda as Britain moves from being a net fuel exporter to a net importer.

The war between Russia and Georgia has also reinforced fears Europe could be held to ransom if it becomes too dependent on gas and coal from the East.

Insulation plans

The government wants to build a new generation of nuclear power stations - but the Lib Dems say the cash should be spent on renewable sources of energy instead.

Mr Clegg would also force energy companies to spend £9bn on insulating homes and helping the poor meet their bills.

The party wants the UK to be both energy independent and carbon neutral by 2050.

To deny the looming energy gap and to pretend that with his policies he can realistically become the prophet of total energy independence for the UK is irresponsible Alan Duncan Shadow business secretary

Earlier Mr Clegg told BBC Radio 4's Today programme he wanted to see the creation of a renewables delivery authority - similar to the Olympic Delivery Authority - to make a "complete revolution" in energy supply a reality.

"The government has spooked everyone into thinking that we need nuclear by saying there's going to be a terrible energy gap - the lights are going to go out in the middle of the next decade.

"There's actually no evidence that's the case at all. They've raised the wrong problem in order to push the wrong solution."

Energy 'prophet'

Mr Clegg also said Britain must improve the energy efficiency of its housing stock, with better insulation and more widespread use of meters.

He said without coal and nuclear power the UK could not power large factories and cope with sudden surges in demand without relying on imported gas.

But Friends of the Earth's head of campaigns, Mike Childs, said: "Nick Clegg is absolutely right to call for a green energy revolution. The only sustainable future for the UK is one based on a combination of renewable energy and energy efficiency."

The first Olympic gold medal taken in 2008 by a British athlete has been won by Welsh cyclist Nicole Cooke.

It is the 200th gold won by a Briton in Olympic history and the first time in 36 years a Welsh athlete has won one.

The 25-year-old from Wick in the Vale of Glamorgan was racing in the Women's Road Race.

She finished in a time of three hours, 32 minutes and 24 seconds. The last time a Welsh athlete took a gold medal was in 1972.

Nicole Cooke took Britain's first gold medal in 2008 Cooke's Olympic gold celebrated

Speaking after the race, she said: "We did it, it was perfect. It's a dream come true.

"I want to thank all the people who have been there from the start. I have worked so hard, I am so happy."

Sports Minister Tessa Jowell said: "All congratulations to Nicole for a fantastic victory and what you can't perhaps quite sense at home is just the torrential rain that was falling on Beijing - and despite those incredibly tough weather conditions, she won.

"It's a wonderful victory and a huge lift for Team GB."

Friends and family at her home town in south Wales are planning to hold a celebration in her honour at a pub in the village later on Sunday.

Cooke, who was born in Swansea, started racing seriously at 11 and her first big race was the Welsh Under-12 Cycle Cross Championships

Nicole Cooke crossing the finishing line In pictures: Gold medal party

She became youngest winner of the Cycling World Cup at the age of 20.

In 2002 she grabbed Commonwealth gold in her first season and in 2006 and 2007 won the Grande Boucle Féminine, the women's equivalent of the Tour de France.

Four years ago in Athens, she came a very creditable fifth in the women's road race and 19th in the women's road time trial.

But at the 2008 Olympics in China she claimed her first gold medal.

It was the first time since equestrian Richard Meade picked up two golds in the 1972 Games, one as a member of the three-day event team and one individual gold, that a Welsh athlete has taken Olympic gold glory.

Cooke's family and friends watched the race from their home in Wick.

First Minister Rhodri Morgan described her victory as a "fantastic achievement".

"I am so pleased for her because she had been planning this for four years since her disappointment in the Athens Games in 2004 when she was outwitted in the final attack.

"This has brought her, Wales and Britain the honour of an Olympic Gold - the greatest prize in sport.

"It has been for a very long time, if ever, since a Welsh woman has taken a gold medal," he added.

Heritage Minister Alun Ffred Jones said: "This is another incredible achievement for one of our great sporting champions.

"Despite such dreadful weather conditions, Nicole's strength and sheer determination secured a victory in China that will be celebrated as a great moment in Welsh sporting history for many years to come."

Lib Dems say the government's asbo scheme should be used less often

Youngsters who commit minor crimes or anti-social behaviour should not face prosecution in courts, under a new Liberal Democrat crime strategy.

The party said it views custody for youngsters as a "last resort".

Children who admit guilt would appear before panels of local people to apologise, with punishment in the form of a "positive behaviour order".

Liberal Democrat home affairs spokesman Chris Huhne said Labour "criminalised a generation of young people".

"It is time for a new approach to youth justice which both prevents crime and confronts young people with their actions if they do break the law," he said.

'Face consequences'

Three out of every four children who were sent to prison went on to reoffend with more serious crimes, he said.

Mr Huhne told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: "We need to make sure they face up to the consequences by having a victim-led system of justice for young people, which is less formal but actually in many ways more more shocking.

"Because it really does change their behaviour if they are confronted with the consequences of their actions early on."

More money needed to be spent on activities for young people to keep them out of trouble, he added.

The government's Asbo regime should be used less frequently, the Lib Dems strategy document stated.

Nothing is being done do stop young people getting sucked in to a cycle of crime Chris Huhne Lib Dems

And the party recommended a greater use of so-called "restorative justice" programmes, under which offenders could be forced to meet victims and see the consequences of their crimes.

Community Justice Panels, made up of local people, should be used to deal with low-level crimes, with youngsters explaining their actions and making a "symbolic apology" - such as cleaning up graffiti, for example.

Shops which sell alcohol to under-18s could face being stripped of their licence at the first offence, under the plans.

Meanwhile, cannabis would remain a Class C drug, which the Liberal Democrats argued would allow police to concentrate on more serious crimes.

The youth crime strategy said gun and knife offence hot-spots should be targeted with high-profile policing and the extensive use of intelligence-led stop-and-search powers.

And the party called for one Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) within every neighbourhood team, to be dedicated to working with local youngsters.

Mr Huhne said there was a need to "take action early" to prevent youngsters "embarking on a life of crime".

"The old parties are falling over each other trying to be tough on crime, but nothing is being done do stop young people getting sucked in to a cycle of crime," he said.

Ian Oakley has since left the Conservative Party

A former Tory candidate has pleaded guilty to a campaign of harassment against his Liberal Democrat rivals.

Ian Oakley, who stood down as the Tory candidate in Watford last month, admitted five charges of criminal damage and two of harassment.

Oakley, of Ryeland Close, West Drayton, west London, asked for 68 other offences to be taken into account.

His case was adjourned until 16 September for psychiatric reports. He was warned custody would be an option.

The Lib Dems have called on Tory leader David Cameron to hold an "urgent inquiry" into the procedures and activities of the Watford Conservative Party.

St Albans Magistrates' Court was told Oakley had damaged property belonging to the Lib Dems and had harassed rivals Sal Brinton and Russell Willson.

Letters

He slashed tyres and wrecked shutters at the Liberal Democrat headquarters in the town.

He made silent phone calls to Ms Brinton between August 2006 and March this year, and sent her gay and lesbian magazines, the court was told.

Both the harassment and the criminal damage offences were targeted very often to homes of the individuals involved and were vindictive in nature Barry Northrop Chair of magistrates

Letters addressed to "Sal Bitchton" were also sent to her workplace.

Oakley's campaign against Mr Willson was mounted from February to May this year and included painting graffiti on his home, calling him a "perv".

He also sent letters to him and his backers wrongly accusing Mr Willson of being a "child abuser".

Donna Rayner, prosecuting, said Oakley had been driven by a "desire to change the political landscape in Watford".

He also slashed tyres on cars belonging to councillors Peter Ray and Mark Watkin and smashed the rear light on a car owned by Nasreen Ajab using a hatchet and Stanley knife, she said.

'Great distress'

Oakley's fingerprints had been found on envelopes containing poison pen letters and CCTV had caught him in one of the graffiti attacks.

Adjourning the case, Barry Northrop, chairman of magistrates, told Oakley the offences were "very, very serious indeed, so serious that custody would be an option".

I am relieved that Ian Oakley has pleaded guilty and that the nightmare of the last three years may finally be coming to an end Sal Brinton Lib Dem parliamentary candidate

He said he had caused "great personal distress" to his victims and their families.

"Both the harassment and the criminal damage offences were targeted very often to homes of the individuals involved and were vindictive in nature," he said.

"By your own admission, this course of action was intimidatory."

Oakley was granted bail until sentencing, on condition he does not contact a number of people named by the court.

Ms Brinton, the Lib Dem parliamentary candidate for Watford, said she was pleased Oakley had pleaded guilty and was relieved "the nightmare of the last three years may finally be coming to an end.

'Appalling' events

"This has been a traumatic period for all those who have suffered from his vile campaign to defame, intimidate and terrorise people, simply for expressing support for a political party," she said.

Oakley, who attended court wearing a dark grey suit, spoke only to confirm his name and address and enter the guilty pleas.

He had been the Conservatives' general election candidate for Watford, but resigned from the party on 19 July following his arrest.

Edward Davey, the Lib Dem chairman of campaigns and communications, said he had written to Mr Cameron to find out why Watford Conservatives had "failed to investigate the matter properly and to ensure that such an appalling course of events is never repeated".

He said: "This was a disgraceful and criminal campaign aimed at intimidating candidates and voters and subverting the democratic process."

Labour MP Claire Ward managed to hold Watford by a slim majority of 1,148 over the Liberal Democrats in the 2005 general election.

The constituency is one of the few areas in the UK where there is a three-way split in votes between the major parties, making it a target seat for both the Lib Dems and Conservatives.

The Lib Dems need you: Nick Clegg plans to target Labour seats

The Liberal Democrats are to shift resources to target what they see as the 50-most winnable Labour seats.

Leader Nick Clegg said in a summer message that "a Labour vote is now a wasted vote" and said they would raise funds to target those constituencies.

"We're rejigging the party organisation so we're fit to win and fit to deliver our programme for government," he said.

Gordon Brown says Labour should have "confidence" in policies he says can win over voters at the next election.

Appeal

But in his summer message, Mr Clegg insisted: "There is no point voting Labour any more. There are no safe Labour seats.

"They will lose every by-election they fight in this Parliament. And at the next general election, they will lose in their heartlands to the Liberal Democrats. A Labour vote is now a wasted vote."

You never know how quickly things will change. Gordon Brown may find the guts to call the general election we should have had last year Nick Clegg Lib Dem leader

He spoke out after the SNP snatched Glasgow East from Labour in last week's by-election. Labour also lost Crewe & Nantwich in May - a seat it had held for 26 years - to the Conservatives.

The Lib Dem focus on Labour is a change of emphasis for the party, which in 2005 embarked on a "decapitation strategy" - aimed at unseating prominent Tory MPs, such as David Davis and Theresa May.

Turning his fire on the Tories - who climbed above the Lib Dems to third place in Glasgow East - Mr Clegg said while a lot is heard about them, "the truth is there are huge parts of the country where they haven't got a hope.

"Not even a single elected councillor in Newcastle, Sheffield, Manchester, Liverpool or Oxford, let alone an MP. Places where only the Liberal Democrats can defeat Labour."

In an appeal to the party faithful, Mr Clegg stressed: "This is a huge opportunity for us. We've got to seize it. So I'm shifting our resources to put more campaigners and more effort into those seats where we're taking on Labour.

"I've instructed our campaigns chief Chris Rennard to step up our campaigns in the 50 seats where we're best placed to beat Labour.

"We'll be launching a special fundraising drive for those constituencies in the autumn and I hope you'll help."

'Ready for anything'

He said he was also sending Lord Rennard and Ed Davey, the party's foreign affairs spokesman, to the Democrats' convention in Denver in August to take a closer look at American campaign techniques.

"You never know how quickly things will change. Gordon Brown may find the guts to call the general election we should have had last year," he said.

"He may be replaced with yet another unelected Labour prime minister.

"We've got to be ready for anything. Britain needs a break from Labour.

"Britain needs a young party with fresh ideas for today's families - that's us. So let's make it happen."