A FORMER television reporter is to succeed John Burnett as the Liberal Democrat standard bearer in West Devon.

Party members on Saturday gave overwhelming backing to David Walter after meetings in Torrington and Tavistock.

Mr Walter, 55, secured more than 50% of the vote in the first ballot against three other candidates.

It clears the way for him to fight West Devon and Torridge for the Liberal Democrats at the next general election — MP John Burnett announced earlier this year that he would not contest the seat again.

Mr Walter was born in Newcastle Upon Tyne but grew up in the south of England. He was educated at Charterhouse School and read Classics at Trinity College, Oxford, where he was president of Oxford Union.

He then studied Political Science at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology.

He and his wife, Pamela, have two adult children, Natalie, 27, an actress who has appeared on stage in the West End, and Peter, 24, a television researcher.

Pamela Walter is an adult education teacher and has a West Devon connection — her grandmother was from Brentor.

Mr Walter joined BBC Radio in 1971 and went on to work with the late Robert McKenzie on the Nationwide programme.

He later worked for eight years as political correspondent with ITN before returning to the BBC as a producer and then as its correspondent in Paris.

For the last five years, Mr Walter has worked for the Liberal Democrats where he has assisted in party political broadcasts and speech writing.

He said this week that he was delighted to have been selected. He decided to seek a Westminster seat after many years watching the activity as a political journalist and being 'very tempted to jump down into the chamber' during debates.

But he decided not to try and enter politics until his children were grown up.

'I'm now in a much better position to give it my absolute full concentration,' he said. 'I'm very fit and convinced I can do the job.'

Mr Walter said he admired Mr Burnett's work as an MP: 'He has done a fantastic job for so many. I have met people singing his praises everywhere. He is a model for the way an MP should work for his constituents and it's one I intend to learn from and follow.

'I'm a dedicated Liberal Democrat but I do not intend to go around ramming politics down people's throats.'

The author of a newly published book on 'The Strange Rebirth of Liberal England', Mr Walter said he admired people in West Devon who had 'kept the faith' with the party over many decades.

But he also sang the praises of its former Conservative MP, the late Sir Peter Mills: 'He was a dedicated constituency MP and a One Nation Tory — I think I can appeal to the Tory tradition because the modern Tory party is nothing like that.'

Mr Walter believes council tax, affordable housing, farming and tourism will be major issues in the constituency at the next election.

He said: 'Farmers have had a very rough time over foot and mouth and extra regulations, many of which are unnecessary, and over the low price of milk.

'And the tourism industry is very important — foot and mouth highlighted just how vital tourism is in West Devon.'

Mr Walter said he and his wife would be buying a house and moving to the constituency 'very soon'.

John Burnett, won West Devon and Torridge for the Liberal Democrats at the 1997 general election and held it four years later with a majority of just under 2,000.