The Liberal Democrats will use the recent victory in Oxford West and Abingdon as a model for future success around the UK, new leader Sir Vince Cable has said.

Ahead of a packed activists' meeting at Abingdon School, Sir Vince said his party was keen to learn from Layla Moran's win last month and increase the number of MPs around the country from its current 12.

Sir Vince said: "In some parts of the country they have had results that aren't great but this is upbeat. They won here, there's a good candidate, good organisation and in the way it's a model for the strong return that I expect to be involved in.

"The opportunities are still there. We still have a gaping middle ground in British politics; there are two zealots on both sides both dominating debate."

He was visiting Oxfordshire as part of a national tour after he was confirmed as the Lib Dems' leader last week and hundreds packed into the school’s Amey Theatre.

He added: "I think I can bring to the debate economic competence, an understanding of economic issues. That's totally disappeared from the centre of British politics but it's important. People will want to have a political leader who has things to say about their living standards and exercise good judgement.”

Ms Moran, who presented him to supporters at the event on Monday evening, said she was optimistic for the future with Sir Vince as leader, after he replaced Tim Farron.

She said: "I think the country itself is crying out for some grown ups to join the conversation in politics and I'm delighted that Vince is leading the party because he makes us so relevant to the current situation. I think the economic prospect of what is about to happen with Brexit is going to be the big thing that is going to hit people and there's no one better to talk about the economy than Vince."

An architect of the current university tuition fee model when he was business secretary between 2010 and 2015, Sir Vince said he ‘laughed’ when Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said his party had never promised to cancel student debt at the weekend.

"This is the third time Labour has done a complete volte face on tuition fees. They promised never to introduce them and they did and they promised never to increase them and they did and they promised to write off debts and they've said they can't. We had one reversal of policy and it was very public and very embarrassing but it was seven years ago. We've been hung out to dry for it; the Labour Party do it continually. I think people will see through it,” he said.