The former mayor of Watford has been chosen to chair a review into why the Liberal Democrats performed so badly in the General Election.

Baroness Dorothy Thornhill, who ran as mayor between 2002 and 2018, has been tasked with analysing where it went wrong for the Lib Dems nationally - which saw the party win just 12 seats.

The party even lost leader Jo Swinson.

The (Federal) Board has commissioned the review into both the General election and the European elections, although the latter saw the Lib Dems exceed expectations.

This review will be run independently of those who ran the elections.

Baroness Thornhill said: "No doubt it was a very disappointing result in December, so it’s really important that as a party we reflect fully on what went wrong for us.

"We had a great European election and really excellent results in the local elections (in Watford) but sadly the loyalty and solidness of our local vote did not translate nationally and we need to understand why.

"Like the Labour Party, we need to do some soul searching and we too will be electing a new leader. The country will need a strong opposition to a huge Tory majority. Unfettered power is never a good thing .

"I am honoured that the party feels it’s a job I can do but I am in no doubt there will be some tough recommendations and some challenging findings. For some individuals it may even be painful.

"But over my 16 years as Watford’s mayor I never backed down from a challenge nor shirked tough decisions so I guess that will stand me in good stead for this task."