Contacting your MP

MPs also put aside time to meet with their constituents in sessions called surgeries. This gives constituents the chance to chat with their MP in-person and locally.  

Most people must book an appointment and can’t just turn up and be seen by their MP. MPs represent a lot of people, so surgeries can be very busy, with MPs often seeing constituents in back-to-back meetings.  

There aren’t any formal rules about how surgeries are held. They are usually held at a local venue in the MPs constituency, like their constituency office or a library about once a week (usually Saturday), but this isn’t mandated.  Surgeries can be held in any venue and don’t have to be held at a certain frequency. To find out how your MP runs their surgeries, you should contact their office or check their website. 

Your time with your MP will be limited, so make sure to prepare ahead of time. Know what you want to talk about and plan the best way to explain it quickly and clearly. This will give you more time to talk it through. It can also help to know what outcomes you’d like to achieve from the meeting. For instance, is there a particular person or organisation you’d like your MP to contact? If so, make that clear. 

My MP isn’t responding  

It’s not uncommon for emails to an MP to go unanswered as they receive a very high volume of inquiries.  

You email may have been read, even if your MP doesn’t respond. MPs have a team around them to support them to run their offices and help administer communication with constituents. The email will likely have been processed by one of their team first, even if you do receive a direct response from your MP. 

It can feel disheartening to not receive a reply, or a generic response that is sent to everyone who has inquired about that specific issue. There are a couple options open to you in this instance: 

• Attend a surgery – This way you can talk to your MP face-to-face and get their response immediately. Call your MP’s office and ask to make an appointment. 

• Write to them again – Sometimes persistence is key. Getting the attention of your MP could be as simple as a second letter. 

MPs are not bound to respond to constituents by law, but it is considered bad practice to let too many messages from constituents go unanswered.  

If you have a complaint about an MP, you can make it to the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority. It’s important to note, however, that failing to respond to constituents isn’t a breach of the rules that govern MPs’ conduct and wouldn’t be considered a valid complaint. 

Can I contact other MPs? 

You should always contact your local MP as your representative. 

You can also find out which MPs take a special interest in a particular topic or campaign: 

• Check the Register of All-Party Groups to see if there is a relevant group and find out which MPs have joined 

• Search Parliamentary Material to see if any MPs have asked questions, tabled motions or spoken in debate on the subject recently 

• Find the select committee that covers the general policy area of the issue (such as Health or Transport) and find out who its members are 

• Find out who the party spokespeople are for that subject in Parliament