It is only weeks since she lost her seat in the House of Commons and former Solihull MP Lorely Burt is set to return to Parliament after being awarded a peerage.

The new Baroness Burt of Solihull is among 11 Lib Dems handed seats in the House of Lords following the recent election rout.

At a national level there has been criticism of the appointment 45 new Lords . These included 11 Lib Dems , some of who are given a swift route back to Parliament after being rejected by the electorate in May.

Mrs Burt was Solihull MP for ten years winning the 2005 and 2010 elections with narrow majorities over Conservative rivals on both occasions.

But suffered a thumping defeat in May , losing by almost 13,000 votes to Conservative Julian Knight following a bitter campaign.

She was a junior minister in the Coalition Government, including serving as Ambassador for Women in Enterprise.

Last month she was appointed by new Lib Dem leader Tim Farron as the party’s spokeswoman for business .

But the peerage for Lorely Burt has been welcomed by her friends in the Solihull Liberal Democrat Party who pointed out that she is another voice for the West Midlands, which is under represented, in the House of Lords.

Chairman of the Solihull and Meriden Liberal Democrats Ade Adeyemo said: “Over the past ten years as our MP, Lorely’s name has become synonymous with Solihull and I am pleased that she is now in a unique position to work for and promote the interests of our Town and its environs.”

He said she has pledged to continue to be involved in the work of the Solihull and Meriden party.

He added: “When I asked... ‘Baroness Burt of where?’ Her response was ‘Solihull of course. This is where I live and representing Solihull is what I am known for’.”