As part of the Words by the Water festival in Keswick, local Penrith and The Border MP, Rory Stewart, spoke alongside Baroness Shirley Williams and Lord Richard Inglewood, in an hour-long debate that focused on the state of British politics, and why so many of us feel disengaged and disaffected.

Rory Stewart suggested that a lack of trust in politics was partly the result of its removal from our everyday lives, and called for a far greater move towards localism, devolving more power to local authorities, and promoting the idea of local mayors to restore a clearer sense of local accountability.

The Cumbrian MP also agreed that more needed to be done to encourage woman to become involved in politics, and offered to support Baroness Shirley Williams' campaign to tackle abusive internet users, who are currently able to hide behind anonymity when posting aggressive and abusive comments - often aimed at high profile women in particular.