Policy, Policy, campaigns & research, Government and the Voluntary Sector

New MPs take their seats in a very different parliament

This week we saw the MPs in the new parliament properly take their seats, with the first Prime Minister’s Questions since the general election and days of debate on the King’s Speech.

I’ve been closely observing UK politics and elections for over 20 years, and I have to say I’m excited about this parliament for the first time in a long time. Ok, I’m a bit of a nerd and I realise that may sound quite weird! I’m not making a party-political point either, but I do think the election results mean there are many fresh opportunities for charities to influence the political process. Let me explain.

A much more diverse group of MPs

This new parliament is in the round much more diverse than the last, and possibly more diverse than any that has come before. Because so many incumbent MPs stepped down at the last election, and there was such a large swing in the mix of parties represented, there are a lot of new MPs. In fact, over half of the MPs in this parliament (335) have never been an MP before! This is the most on record, surpassing the number elected in 1945 (327).

That shift also is reflected in other really important ways. For example, over 40% of the House of Commons are now women, apparently 14% are from an ethnic minority background, and nearly 10% identify as LGBT+. The average age of MPs is also now likely to be substantially younger.

Now, these kinds of stats don’t determine an individual MP’s political views, or their receptiveness to working with charities or the voluntary sector. But they do reflect a significant shift in the backgrounds of people who are representing us, and that will have some bearing on how this parliament will operate.

And critically, with so many new MPs, they will be keen to make their mark, and many of them will turn out to be long-standing public servants whether in parliament or elsewhere. So it’s a great time for charities to get in there and make introductions. Even if you’re involved with a local charity, and especially if your MP is new to parliament, there’s a huge opportunity over the coming weeks to put your organisation and its work firmly on their radar.

Time to introduce your charity by writing to your MP

After a few weeks of work and getting to grips with their new jobs, MPs will be on a short recess during August. Then they’ll return to Westminster in September for what’s likely to be a very busy period, before party conferences later that month and in early October. Their schedules will be chock-a-block and they may not respond to your requests straight away, but don’t be deterred.

Many MPs, whether freshly elected or long-serving, will value the work of charities in their constituencies – and they need to hear from them. So my advice is to write an introductory letter to your MP now. Here are some tips for doing this:

If you don’t know it already, look up the MP’s constituency address. It’s much better to write to them there for these purposes, especially if you’re a local organisation. You can find this by googling it or via the parliament.uk website. Make sure you spell their name and full title correctly!
Politely congratulate the MP on winning their election, even if personally you don’t agree with their politics or you didn’t vote for them.
In a few succinct paragraphs, introduce yourself and your charity, explaining what it does and why it’s important. Keep it high level, keep stats to a minimum and don’t use jargon. It’s not a funding application! Even if your MP has been around awhile, it doesn’t hurt to refresh their memory or make a fresh invitation.
Make clear links to their constituency. Reference particular areas of the constituency where you work or where your offices are, what the charity does there, and who it is helping.
Don’t jump in straight away with a list of demands – your purpose with this letter is to introduce your charity and start a relationship. But it can help to point to shared interests or priorities.
Make an open offer to meet them. For example: ‘I know you’ll be very busy over the next months taking up your new role, but we would love to welcome you to visit us when you’re next in the constituency’ – or words to that effect.
You could also invite them to an upcoming event that you’re hosting or some kind of meeting with your charity’s beneficiaries. This will be especially attractive to them if there’s a photo op with beneficiaries or some kind of social media output, and if it’s timed for when parliament is in recess.
Ask if the MP could get their staff to respond with a time that might work for them or provide further information about how best to make arrangements.
Personal touches are good – introduce and sign the letter by hand.

If you don’t get a response straight away, don’t worry, get annoyed, or give up! New MPs have a huge amount to do and may even still be trying to recruit staff. If you don’t hear back for a month or two, write another polite letter. Say ‘I wrote to you on xx date and so far I haven’t had a response. I just wanted to check that you’d received my letter and to follow up on my request to meet at a convenient time’.

This new government and parliament has a huge list of things to do and charities are going to have to keep pushing to get their messages heard. There will be lots of competition for time and attention. But one thing’s for sure, if we don’t speak up and make our case, we won’t be heard!

Join us at our annual Engage online conference, on Thursday 17 October, where sessions include: