Jane Dodds has said that she will "keep on fighting" for a "brighter future" after her defeat at the General Election on Thursday; which made her one of the shortest serving MPs in history.

The Welsh Liberal Democrat leader is well-known throughout Powys, having stood twice in Montgomeryshire and having been elected at the high-profile Brecon and Radnorshire by-election in August.

She remains the leader of the party in Wales.

Ms Dodds said: “In my short time as MP for Brecon and Radnorshire, I always tried to be the hard-working representative our communities deserve at Westminster, making sure your voices were heard in the corridors of power.

“I was so humbled to be able to serve my community and I hope I was able to make a difference.

“But this is not the end. I have always stood up and fought for my values and what I believe in. If anything, the results last night have strengthened my resolve to keep on fighting for that brighter future that we want to see.

“The Welsh Liberal Democrats will continue to hold this Conservative government to account and hold its feet to the fire on climate change, rural broadband, universal credit and so much more.

“I hope that we can continue to have a respectful political debate here in Wales. Our politics is better than endless back-and-forth attacks on each other.

“We need to be able to have honest discussions about the issues and how we want to fix them, ditching the rhetoric and respecting everyone’s point of view.

“Thank you so much once again to everyone who supported me and my campaign, everyone across Wales who campaigned for a brighter future and to all the successful candidates. I wish them all the best.”