How to achieve campaign impact with your MP
Lobbying your MP is one of the most effective ways to achieve your campaign goals and is a useful tactic across a wide range of issues. This short briefing is designed to outline what can be achieved by working with your local MP, and how you can go about ensuring that your MP effectively supports your campaign.
How your MP can help you locally.
Firstly it’s important to note that your MP can only help with matters for which Parliament or central government is responsible. If matters are the responsibility of local authorities or the local NHS, it’s best to contact them first. However, an MP can influence local service providers and planners, so do not hesitate to ask them to do that.
If your MP is prepared to give you active support for your campaign they can help you locally by:
· Making a statement supporting your campaign
· Lending their names to an appeal for money, volunteers or materials
· Using their influence with the local authority
· Speaking at public meetings.
How your MP can help you within Parliament.
Your MP can also help by using a variety of methods within Parliament. These can help raise the profile in front of the public and press, draw the Government’s attention to the issues and can serve to gain information which can be used to support your campaign aims. Some of the main ways that they can do this are:
Ask parliamentary questions
MPs can ask ministers oral and written questions in Parliament and the Welsh assemblies. As well as sometimes extracting useful information, this helps raise the profile of an issue. If you ask your MP to put down a particular question for you, be specific about the issue and the question. You can add at the end of your question, “and if the minister will make a statement” to elicit a more general position. Ask your MP to put down a written question, as the oral questions are drawn in a ballot – meaning you may wait months before your MP gets lucky
Writing to ministers
If you think it is important that an issue is raised with the appropriate minister, you could ask your MP to take it up with him/her. This guarantees a reply signed (and therefore seen) by the minister, whereas a letter direct from you to the minister is more likely to be answered by a civil servant.
Tabling an Early Day Motion (EDM)
An EDM is a House of Commons resolution to which MPs can add their names to demonstrate support for the sentiments it expresses. Among other things, this gives a list of supportive MPs and shows the support a particular measure has.
Speaking at an adjournment debate
This is a debate with the relevant minister instigated by an MP. These are drawn out of a hat, but it usually takes no more than a few weeks at most before an MP is chosen. Most of those on local issues last half an hour, although longer adjournment debates are available. The MP speaks first, followed by the relevant minister. If you persuade your MP to hold an Adjournment Debate, suggest that a summary of what he/she intends to say is sent to the minister in advance. This makes it more likely that the minister will be briefed on the points the MP plans to raise.
The nuts and bolts of working with your MP
Finding your MP
First of all, find contact details for your MP. You can find them by:
· Contacting your local library or town hall
· Telephoning the House of Commons Information Office on 020 7219 4272
· Go to http://findyourmp.parliament.uk
· Go to www.theyworkforyou.com.
Campaign tip: Before you approach your MP there are several things that would be good to find out. Find out his/ her name, political party, surgery times and the issues that they are interested in. The more familiar you are with their interests and background, the more likely you are to be able to pitch your case in the most effective way.
The Letter
Start your lobbying with a simple action, such a sending a letter. You may find that your MP is willing to support your campaign actively straight away, in which case – great! However, you may find you get a reply which states something similar to “Many people have supported this issue and I have taken it up with the Minister”. Responses such as this which don't actually commit to any course of action should be viewed as encouragement to keep on writing, asking for their specific viewpoint; and if that doesn’t work you can escalate your lobby.
The more your MP evades answering your questions or committing their support, the more you can increase the pressure – for example getting local school children to write letters or by involving the local media.
Campaign tip: Always close your letter with the line ‘I look forward to your reply, to ensure that your MP understands that you require a response.
How to escalate your lobbying
Visit their surgery
Face to face lobbying at your MP’s constituency surgery allows you to discuss the issues and present your arguments in more detail. It is particularly useful if your campaign demands are complex and your case can’t be stated in a simple letter. If you are not sure of your MP’s view, remember it is important to demonstrate great public concern on the issue and support for your case.
It is advisable to call their office for times that they will be available and make an appointment prepare a short briefing (around 2 sides of A4) on your argument to take with you to the meeting. This can serve to outline your case point by point and summarise clearly what you wish your MP to do.
Campaign tip: Following the meeting, don’t forget to write to your MP to thank them for meeting with you, outline any areas or points that you agreed on, list the action you believe he or she has agreed to take and offer to help with further information if needed.
Involve your local media
Your MP will be sensitive to any local media coverage and you can use this to good effect to publicise any support that they pledge to your campaign but also to increase the pressure on them to shift to a supportive position if they are initially reluctant.
Campaign tip: Most MP’s are far more concerned about their local media coverage than about the national press. They work hard at maintaining a high profile in their local media and read local papers as they need to keep themselves informed of local events and issues. So if you generate a series of letters in the local paper, or there are a number of reports on related problems – combined with good coverage of the possible solutions and a comment that your MP is not backing them – you may find that your MP begins to shift his or her position. Never underestimate the influence of local papers.
Invite your MP to attend an event and/or organise a public meeting on the issue and invite your MP to speak
Public meetings often attract new supporters to your campaign and generate local media coverage which informs a wider audience about the existence and aims of your campaign. A public meeting can demonstrate the strength of concern in your constituency regarding a particular issue and can also serve to capture on public record your MP’s pledge to take action on the issue, which they can be reminded of at a future date, should that become necessary!
Campaign tip: If your MP is ‘unable to attend’, request that they send someone else to speak on their behalf or submit a written statement stating their position. Don’t forget to invite the local media to the event!
Use people power
Some methods, such as holding a public meeting and using the local media will serve to attract more people to your campaign so it is a good idea to have an action prepared for them to take, such as giving them a template on which they can base their own individually written letters. Lots of letters about one subject will really make your MP sit up and listen and will demonstrate the critical mass of public support that you have achieved for your campaign, leading your MP to a position where he or she cannot afford not to pledge to take action.
Campaign tip: Providing people with a template letter, which lists each campaign demand is fine, but try to encourage them to personalise the letter with an opening paragraph explaining their personal experience and why the campaign is important to them. Standard generic letters have far less impact than individually written letters.
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