Verhofstadt elected new ALDE group leader

Guy Verhofstadt has been confirmed as the new leader of the ALDE group.

He was elected unopposed after UK member Diana Wallis decided not to stand.

She will accept a nomination as a vice president of parliament.

Verhofstadt, a former prime minister of Belgium, had been touted as a possible president of the commission but, addressing a meeting of the ALDE group in parliament on Tuesday, he formally committed himself to serving the full five-year term as an MEP.

He also said he would stand down as a local councillor in Ghent to lead the 84-strong ALDE group, parliament's third largest.

An ALDE spokesman said, "He was given a great reception and the fact that he has committed himself to a five-year term is clearly significant".

He replaces Graham Watson, who served as leader for over seven years and is a candidate for president of parliament.

Meanwhile, the UK Independence Party, which won 13 seats in the recent elections, has announced that it has agreed to form a new political group.

Ukip was part of Independence/Democracy in the last parliament but the ID group has now disbanded and will be renamed with Ukip one of its main members.

The new group will have 31 MEPs from at least seven countries and is likely to elect Nigel Farage as its interim leader.

Its members come from Denmark, Finland, Italy, Greece, the Netherlands, France and the UK.

The group will formally announce its formation in parliament on Wednesday.

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