FORMER Wells MP Tessa Munt has announced she will be standing in the next General Election to try and win back the seat for the Liberal Democrats.

Mrs Munt, who was a party whip in the House of Commons from 2010 to 2012, said she had 'her sights firmly set on Westminster'.

In the 2015 General Election she lost out to James Heappey, gaining 18,662 votes to Mr Heappey's 26,247 but is planning to oust the Conservative candidate at the next election.

Mrs Munt said: “I’m delighted to have been re-selected as Parliamentary Candidate for the Wells Constituency, my family home.

"I loved serving Somerset and I’m proud of what I achieved for our area and the country, from establishing the Inquiry into child sex abuse cover ups to voting against fracking.

"Being an MP is an absolute honour. It’s also an unique opportunity to get things done and there’s so much more I want to achieve”.

“With our political system in chaos, the need for positive, strong and independent-minded voices in politics is greater than ever, I will provide just that.

Former Liberal Democrat leader Paddy Ashdown said he was thrilled that Tessa's name would be on the ballot.

“I was thrilled but not surprised, to learn that Wells Liberal Democrats have re-selected Tessa to contest the next election," Lord Ashdown said.

"With ‘Tessa the firebrand’ as MP, local people got the best of both worlds: a truly local MP who ran a record 700 advice surgeries and a provided a strong voice in Westminster asking difficult questions, standing up for Somerset and more often than not, getting results against the odds."