AN Oxford MP will find out this week if she is the new leader of the Liberal Democrats.

Layla Moran, MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, has been campaigning for months to become the next leader of the centre-ground political party.

Now the result is set to be announced on Thursday.

Ms Moran, who is competing against the Lib Dems interim leader Ed Davey for the role, stressed the leadership would not prevent her from still carrying out constituency work in Oxford West and Abingdon.

Speaking to the Oxford Mail today, she said: "One of the things I made sure before I ran was to have a brilliant team."

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Ms Moran said she and her team of caseworkers had a proven record of constituency work in recent months, including working with local councillors and Matthew Arnold School to organise travel for children from Kennington, as well as work alongside community groups in her constituency.

She added: "I remember who is my boss: it is the constituents."

On the leadership contest, Ms Moran said she was 'nervous and excited'.

She added: "It has been a very long leadership election. Come what may I am excited to have a level of certainty about what the future will hold."

The leadership contest has been an internal party vote, with only signed up Lib Dem members able to take part in the election through postal ballot papers.

Oxford Mail:

Ed Davey is also running for the Lib Dem leadership. Picture: Flickr

But the Oxford MP said she thought the outcome would be influential for wider national politics.

Ms Moran said: "I believe that England in particular is a three-party system and it has been for a very long time now.

"Whenever you see the Lib Dems strong, that is when you see us able to put forward liberal ideals for the economy, education and environment.

"Where we have got Lib Dems who are not strong is when you see the extremes of the other parties take hold -- that is what has happened in the last five years to the other parties."

When Ms Moran launched her bid for the leadership in March this year, she said her tenure would focus on 'opportunity, education and the environment'.

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In light of the coronavirus pandemic which has since struck, she did not think her bid has changed, other than to focus on the 'opportunity as expressed in economic terms'.

Both Ms Moran and Sir Ed has spoken in support of a new Universal Basic Income in recent months as a means of providing economic stability to everyone in the UK.

While Sir Ed has been seen as a continuity candidate with links to the Lib Dem-Tory coalition years, Ms Moran has been able to position herself as a newcomer without links to the 2010-15 government.

The leadership contest was initially postponed until next year as the lockdown took hold, but was then re-organised for this year again with a revised timetable.

The result of the contest is expected to be announced at noon on Thursday.

Bookies are favouring Sir Ed as the winner, according to BetFred and aggregator Oddschecker.