Mike German is calling for a national convention to be created

At their annual conference in Brighton, Mike German also warned delegates that Labour's policies on European funding, mean that Wales could lose out in terms of securing European aid, such as Objective One.

And only days since winning the Brent East by-election, party activists say they can beat Labour in Wales too.

The Welsh Liberal Democrats have been calling for a Welsh parliament for several years, and they were also instrumental in demanding that the Richard Commission was set up in order to examine the powers of the Welsh assembly.

The commission - led by Lord Richard of Ammanford - was set up to look into the work of the assembly since its inception in 1999.

Its members have travelled Wales this year, canvassing the opinions of members of the public in seven public meetings.

We need to get this right and we we need now, on the back of the report which is coming out in the next few months, to take it forward Mike German

It will eventually make recommendations on the Welsh electoral system and issues such as whether the assembly needs law-making powers like the Scottish Parliament.

But now, the party's leader in the assembly, Mike German, is calling for a national convention to be created, to campaign for greater powers - and to ensure that the Labour Government implements any recommendations made by Lord Richard.

"We need to get this right and we we need now, on the back of the report which is coming out in the next few months, to take it forward," he said.

"[We must] make sure it is not forgotten, that Labour don't forget it either in Cardiff or London, and that the prime minister takes it forward as the view of the people of Wales."

Full member

Plaid Cymru have also called for a similar convention, but it is unlikely to come to fruition, without the backing of a so-far reluctant Labour party.

The Lib-Dems' announcement comes just two days after Plaid Cymru committed itself for the first time to an independent Wales.

Delegates at the Plaid Cymru conference in Cardiff voted unanimously on Saturday to affirm the party's long-term aim to secure independence for Wales within the European Union, and a seat as a full member of the United Nations.

Members voted to drop the term "full national status" and declare the party's constitutional aim as "independence" - a word it has been avoiding until now, for fear of alienating some voters.