Google Plus gets political

The leaders of all three largest political parties have signed up to Google + in an attempt to make themselves more accessible to voters.

Prime Minister David Cameron of the Conservatives, Labour's Ed Miliband and Liberal Democrat and Deputy Prime Minister Nick Clegg will all have their own profiles on the new social networking site, according to the Telegraph.

Google+ was launched in on a trial basis in June and now has more than 25 million members.

The network's 'Circles' feature, which allows members to share content with specific groups, could be particularly appealing to politicians, as it will let them communicate with other MPs, constituents and the general public.

Cameron took the opportunity of his first post on the network to say: "Proud to see British politicians leading the way when it comes to embracing new methods of engaging people online, from e-petitions to the latest developments in social media."

Labour leader Ed Miliband said: "I am determined for Labour to look outwards, not just inwards. So I am looking forward to using this site to keep in touch with people who follow me here."

The Liberal Democrat leader Nick Clegg said on his profile: "The Liberal Democrats are always open to new and innovative ways of communicating with voters, so creating a Google+ account was an easy and logical step."

According to findings reported by the Daily Mirror, 57 per cent of adults read or received information on the internet during the 2010 general election.

Understandably Google UK's MD, Matt Brittin, is very positive: "It's great to see David Cameron, Nick Clegg and Ed Miliband embracing new innovations."

"Britain's political parties and the UK Government are leading the world with new innovations in citizen engagement, from Google+ to online petitions and open data."

The presence of the politicians could also lead to larger user numbers as well, as the celebrity presence on Twitter was considered by some to fuel the microblogging outlet