PENARTH'S Member of Parliament has joined the first ever permanent cross-party network in the UK Parliament.

Stephen Doughty, MP for Cardiff South and Penarth, has joined 50 other MPs from seven political parties to establish a network for cross-party campaigning in Westminster.

The More United MP Network is the latest addition to the landscape in the House of Commons and its members have committed to working cross-party in the national interest, no matter who is in power.

The network plans to tackle "issues ignored because of Brexit".

Initial campaigns will focus on poverty and homelessness, responsible technology, mental health and urgent climate dangers.

More United members are able to support campaigns through online petitions, surveys and write to your MP initiatives as well as local outreach and lobbying events.

Members across the UK are able to work with politicians from all parties through More United campaigns, no matter which constituency they live in and they also have a vote on which MPs to support at election time.

Stephen Doughty MP said: “I came into Parliament to get things done for my constituents and sometimes the best way to do that is to work cross-party.

"Having a permanent network of MPs willing to do that will hopefully lead to better outcomes for people in Cardiff South and Penarth and rebuild trust in Parliament.

"To be clear, the More United MP network is not a new political party and instead provides a great opportunity to work with colleagues across the benches in a structured way.”

The new network hopes to fuse new forms of technology with traditional politics. In a statement, they said: "With millions of people signing online petitions there is a clear appetite for using digital technology to engage with politics.

"By fusing online engagement opportunities with MPs of all parties the group intends to become a significant mass movement with 250,000 members and 100 MPs onboard by the end of 2020."

More United CEO Bess Mayhew said: “People see cross-party working as a proxy for trust in politics.

"That’s why we are delighted Stephen Doughty MP has chosen to be a part of the More United network.

"Now we need to start tackling the important issues being ignored because of Brexit and give a voice to people who want to move Britain forward.”