The general election campaign has got underway with a Conservative government minister visiting Brecon.

Sajid Javid used his visit to Brecon and Radnorshire, taken by the Conservatives at the 2015 election, to appeal to Liberal Democrat and Labour voters to back Theresa May at the June 8 poll.

Mr Javid, who has represented Bromsgrove in the West Midlands since 2010, appealed for voters to back Mrs May which he claimed would strengthen her hand in negotiations over Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union.

He said: "Everyone wants to see our Prime Minister do well in those negotiations and let’s remember the outcome of those negotiations isn’t something that’s just going to affect Britain for the next five years and then you can think again at the next election.

"It’s going to affect us for the next generation it’s going to affect our children and grandchildren and that’s why, even if in the past, you’ve voted Liberal Democrat or Labour I would say to them think again lend your vote to the Conservatives so that they can carry on with a successful negotiation and our country can remain strong and stable."

Mr Javid, who is the secretary of state for communities and local government in England, took a walk around the town centre with Conservative candidate Chris Davies who holds a 5,000 majority over the Lib Dems.

However the cabinet minister who’d also served as former PM David Cameron’s last business secretary said Mrs May wouldn’t be afraid to walk away from EU negotiations without a deal.

He said: "With Theresa May we will get a deal because she is the best person to lead for us but she has also made clear that as she strives for that deal she won’t accept any old deal. She wants a deal that’s in the national interest and as she said no deal is better than a bad deal but she’s also the person I think that can get us that good deal."

However Lib Dem Brecon and Radnor candidate James Gibson-Watt and Labour’s Dan Lodge warned against a large Conservative majority.

Mr Gibson-Watt said: "The worst thing in the world for Britain would be having a large Conservative majority taking us out of the biggest free trade area in the world, the European single market, and leaving us at the mercy of tariffs and other trade barriers.

"I don’t want to give them a big majority as bad governments generally have huge majorities."

Mr Lodge said: "Theresa May says she wants a mandate for Brexit, but really she would use her majority and five more years to bring savage cuts to Wales. She is handling Brexit very poorly, and the EU negotiators have made plain they don’t care how big any majority is. Instead of aggravating 27 other countries, she should fight for a Brexit which benefits Brecon and Radnorshire, safeguarding local jobs, agriculture and tourism.

"The Tories are anything other than strong and stable, their recent Defence review was a shambles. Anyone voting Tory will just be giving Theresa May a blank cheque."