US Election: Paul Ryan announced as Mitt Romney's running mate

Mitt Romney has taken a rare political gamble in an attempt to change the direction of the US presidential campaign, unveiling Paul Ryan, a radically conservative young congressman, as his running mate.

The Republican challenger for the White House announced Paul Ryan of Wisconsin, the 42-year-old author of the party's drastic plan to slash public spending, as his prospective vice president.

Appearing together at a rally in Norfolk, Virginia, the pair attacked Barack Obama's "record of failure" and claimed that they were "America's comeback team".

Standing in front of USS Wisconsin, a Second World War battleship, Mr Romney hailed Mr Ryan as "an intellectual leader of the Republican Party", adding: "He appeals to the better angels of our nature".
"He understands the fiscal challenges facing America: our exploding deficits and crushing debt, and the fiscal catastrophe that awaits us if we don't change course," he told 2,000 cheering supporters.

Amid a sea of flags and placards on the dock, Mr Ryan warned the US was "running out of time" to fix its economy and said: "It is our duty to save the American dream for our children and theirs".
11th August 2012