Britain's Conservative Party has named David Cameron as its new leader.
Cameron (39) attracted 134,446 votes from the party's approximately 260,000 members, compared to 64,398 for his rival David Davis in a postal ballot.
Cameron's was widely expected to be elected the successor to Michael Howard, who decided to step down in May after losing the last general election, the party's third in succession.
David Cameron: expected to be named new Tory leader
He is the fifth Tory leader in eight years. He has about four years before the next British election, which is due in 2010.
Mr Blair's parliamentary majority was more than halved in May's election, attributed to anger over the Iraq war and a perceived lack of improvement in schools and hospitals.
Mr Cameron was in contention for the leadership with right-winger David Davis (56), the party's experienced home affairs spokesman who started out as favourite. Mr Davis's campaign lost momentum after a lacklustre performance at the party's conference in October which threw open the race. Mr Cameron has topped most polls for nearly two months.
Supporters believe Mr Cameron, who has portrayed himself as a moderniser, can widen the party's appeal to voters in the centre ground in the way Blair remodelled Labour in the 1990s.
In the May election, the Conservatives gained just 33 per cent of the vote, barely an improvement from 2001.
He is vague on policy detail but analysts believe he would be prepared to invest in public services rather than immediately cut taxes to win back voters. He emphasises the caring side of Conservatism and has pledged to support Labour on policies with which he agrees while his Eurosceptic views have won him popularity in his party.
However, critics say Mr Cameron is inexperienced.