Former Liberal Democrat leader Sir Menzies Campbell has appeared to undermine his new boss by warning their party will be in the political wilderness for a decade.

Sir Menzies said voters would be "cynical" of any other claim.

New leader Tim Farron is today due to say that the party could be back in government at Westminster within five years.

He will also tell his annual party conference in Bournemouth to be “proud” of their record in coalition, despite the heavily criticised U-turn on tuition fees.

But Sir Menzies warned that voters won't believe that the party - which has just eight MPs - can be back in power so quickly.

He said: "My view, being entirely realistic, is that this is a 10 year journey.

"I think if we go around telling people that we’re going to hold the balance of power or that we’re going to do well enough to be in government then people will be somewhat cynical or sceptical about that."

Yesterday in another blow to Mr Farron’s leadership a Lib Dem councillor in London announced that she had defected to the Labour party.

Jennifer Churchill, who represents Teddington on Richmond Borough Council, said Mr Farron "doesn't seem to stand for anything".

The party leader had spent the first few days of the conference appealing to Labour voters disgruntled with the election of veteran left winger Jeremy Corbyn.

He has also claimed that Labour MPs have contacted him to discuss the possibility of joining his party.

Mr Farron has argued that a "vast” new space has now opened up in the centre ground of British politics which can be filled by the Lib Dems.

The party tumbled from almost 60 to just 8 MPs in May.

But Mr Farron will say that they are hungry for power again and could make a rapid comeback after the general election "annihilation".

Mr Farron, who once famously gave his party “two out of 10” for its handling of the politics of coalition, also said the party should be proud of its record.

"Did we make mistakes in Government? Sure, but show me a government that didn’t," he will say.

"We paid a heavy price for our time in government, but we did right by the country."

He will also threaten that to use the unelected House of Lords to block policy contained in the Conservative manifesto.

The vow could prove particularly controversial.

There is a convention that manifesto promises should be allowed to pass through the unelected chamber.

Thee Lib Dems have also long argued that the LOrrds should be reformed and opened up to elections..

But Mr Farron said the rules around manifesto commitments were a “political stitch up”.

He said they were a "gentleman's pact between the old, established parties".

He suggested his peers could prevent David Cameron selling off housing association homes in England, even though the move was in the Tory manifesto.

He also said he thought the “most patriotic thing” voters can do in the next 12 months is to back staying the EU..

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