Tories in the United Kingdom elected education spokesman David Cameron as their leader. The 39-year old has been in Parliament less than five years, won two-thirds of the 200,000 votes of party members, who under the Tories' selection process elect their leader after MPs present them with two candidates.
"We need to change the way we feel," he said. "No more grumbling about modern Britain. I love this country as it is, not as it was, and I believe our best days lie ahead."
Mr Cameron said nine out of 10 Tory MPs were "white men" like himself and that had to change. He called the under-representation of women was "scandalous," according to <i>The Age</i>.
"There is such a thing as society," he said, contradicting one of Margaret Thatcher's more famous statements and making a clear pitch for the centre ground.
Some, however, feel Cameron has too little is known about his views on many issues.
Cameron also promised an end to "Punch and Judy politics — the name-calling, backbiting, point scoring and finger pointing."
He has pledged to support Labor bills when he agrees with them, a tactic also designed to split Mr Blair from Labour dissidents on the back bench.
