David Cameron was today elected Britain's Conservative leader, beating his rival David Davis by 134,446 votes to 64,398 - more than two to one.
He becomes the fourth leader of his party since 1997 to take on Prime Minister Tony Blair, promising a new style of politics to woo back disillusioned voters.
The ballot result was announced this afternoon at London's Royal Academy of Arts by Sir Michael Spicer, Chairman of the Tory MPs' backbench 1922 Committee.
He said there were a total of 198,844 votes cast and declared Mr Cameron the duly elected leader of the Conservative Party.
Mr Cameron, 39, said it was a huge privilege and an honour and a great responsibility to take on the leadership.
Michael Howard announced he was standing down as Tory leader in May after he lost the general election.
It began a long drawn-out process of finding his successor. The final two contenders slugged it out for weeks addressing party members at hustings up and down the country.
A Cameron shadow cabinet is likely to include David Davis as well as former leader William Hague.
The new leader's first big test will come when he faces Mr Blair in the Commons tomorrow for the weekly Prime Minister's questions.
