Liberal Democrat leader Tim Farron has credited a four-mile beach run and a dip in the sea with MP Tom Brake for the smooth delivery of his leadership acceptance speech in Bournemouth.

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Mr Farron also said he had forgiven the Carshalton and Wallington representative for backing rival candidate Norman Lamb, after former Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg's post-election resignation.

Speaking on a visit to Carshalton to promote the Lib Dems' housing policy, he said: "Me and Tom have always been good friends, this is just how it works.

"In fact, the morning of my leader's speech we went swimming together in the sea after a four mile run on the sand.

"I was going significantly slower than Tom, and I didn't cock up in the speech, so it was obviously the right thing to do."

Asked about Brake backing his leadership rival he said: "The first job I got in the parliamentary party was when I was made parliamentary private secretary by Menzies Campbell a day after I had been backing one of his opponents."

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Like Rocky III enemies turn friends: Farron said he forgave Brake for backing his leadership rival. Pic: MGM

Mr Farron visited housing developments in Fellowes Road yesterday alongside London mayoral candidate Caroline Pidgeon.

He said: "No sensible bank manager should give you three and a half times your salary towards a mortgage.

"In Sutton, you'd need to have a family income of something like £75,000 a year and have a decent deposit.

"That makes it very unlikely for lots and lots of people to get on the ladder and it shows that the market is broken.

"That's why we need to make sure that there is good quality social housing and give people the chance to get on the ladder through shared ownership and shared equity schemes, but also make sure that the communities created are good communities."

The average house price in Sutton is about £395,000, according to Rightmove.

Asked if any Labour MPs had suggested they might defect to his party following Jeremy Corbyn's leadership victory, Mr Farron said: "I'm sure the Labour Party must be an interesting place to be, but my job is not to be a home wrecker.

"For me it is about providing a home for people who are liberals. There are lots of liberals in my party, obviously, but there are plenty who are not yet.

"The Government needs to be properly opposed.

"Take, for example, the Conservatives' offer to first-time buyers which comes at the expense of social rented housing and will probably mean 50,000 fewer homes in this Parliament.

"A government like that needs to be properly opposed and if Labour aren't prepared to do it we will and we're happy to speak to whoever wants to join us in that respect."

Mr Farron also said that he was shocked to see news of anti-Conservative protesters spitting at journalists during the Tories' Manchester conference.

He said: "It's pretty horrific. Let's think who's out there, there are people who desperately need affordable housing and are on the social housing waiting list who are in desperate need.

"There are people running green businesses who will potentially lose out because they are cutting their subsidies to renewable energy.

"And then you've got refugees being demonised who are desperate for a home.

"How many of those people are helped by someone in a Guy Fawkes mask spitting at some Tory researcher, or a journalist?"