What is lobbying?

Lobbying is the practice of individuals or organisations seeking to influence the opinions of legislators. During each Parliament, elected representatives are lobbied on hundreds of different issues by numerous different interest groups.

Lobbyists normally seek for representatives to vote in a certain way on a specific issue. It should be remembered, however, that the decision on how to vote will ultimately be determined by the individual’s own judgement and the influence (if any) of party policy.

How to lobby

Anyone can lobby their MP (or any other elected representative). It is their job to represent the people of their constituency whether you voted for them or not.

Below are suggestions and tips on lobbying Members of Parliament and other elected representatives, such as Members of the European Parliament, Welsh Assembly Members, Members of the Scottish Parliament, Members of Legislative Assemblies in Northern Ireland and local councillors.

Different levels of government are responsible for different aspects of policy-making and implementation. Click here for a basic guide to who can do what on your behalf. (link to Section 4)

UNA-UK and Parliament

UNA-UK interacts with British Parliamentarians and the UK government in a number of ways:

UNA-UK acts as the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the United Nations – its objective is to raise awareness of the work of the UN among MPs and Peers by highlighting the organisation’s contributions across the areas of peace and security, development and human rights, and the vital role it plays in addressing the threats and challenges faced by the world today. As part of our Lobby campaign we will be organising a number of briefings for the Group on the MDGs and non-proliferation and multilateral disarmament.

We also work with individual Parliamentarians, committees and other APPGs on a host of issues by, for example, providing oral or written evidence, preparing briefings, drafting Early Day Motions and co-sponsoring meetings with UN representatives.

A key focus for UNA-UK is the relationship between Britain and the UN, therefore, we seek to influence British foreign policy in order to advance UN objectives by working closely with government departments and engaging in high-level advocacy.

Our Chair, Lord Hannay of Chiswick (a former British Ambassador to the UN), is an influential advocate of UN issues in Parliament. He regularly contributes to debates in the House of Lords and questions the government on issues relating to the UN.

UNA-UK’s annual lobby of Parliament – Lobby for the UN – aims to encourage relationships and promote dialogue between voters and Parliamentarians on UN issues throughout the parliamentary year.

 

Identify your MP

The first step is to find out the name and contact details of your local MP.

If you are not sure who your MP is, there are a number of websites that enable you to search by postcode:

www.theyworkforyou.com/mp
www.findyourmp.parliament.uk
www.writetothem.com

Contact details for all MPs are available on the Parliament website: www.parliament.uk/mps-lords-and-offices/mps/

All MPs can be contacted in writing at:
House of Commons
London
SW1A 0AA

Or by telephone through the House of Commons switchboard: 020 7219 3000

Other elected officials

Details of all your elected representatives can be found at www.writetothem.com

 

Research

Find out a little bit about your MP. For example, what issues are they particularly interested in? What is their parliamentary profile? Are they a member of any All-Party Parliamentary Groups?

You will be able to find this information by looking at your MP’s own website or through www.theyworkforyou.com

 

Making contact with your MP

One of the best ways to contact your MP is in writing.  Even if your primary objective is to arrange a meeting, writing to them provides a useful tool through which to introduce your campaign and will allow them time to brief themselves on the issue if necessary.

MPs will often respond better to individual, personalised letters, rather than standard campaign letters.  Click here for some template letters you can adapt

Other ways of getting in touch:

• Email – the response rate for letters that arrive in the post is far higher than that for emails received.
• Telephone – do not expect to speak to your MP directly if you telephone their office, you are more likely to be offered a time to meet them in person to discuss the matter or advised to put your query in writing.
• Fax – if you fax a letter, make sure you clearly mark who it is for and also send a hard copy through the post.

 

Meeting your MP

As a general rule, when the House of Commons is sitting, MPs will usually be in Westminster from Monday to Thursday, then in their constituencies from Friday to Sunday.

All constituents are entitled to seek to lobby their MP in Parliament; however, it is probably easier to seek a meeting with them during one of their regular MP’s surgeries, which are usually held on a Friday or Saturday in the constituency. MP’s surgery times are normally advertised in local papers and public libraries. Alternatively, the MP’s office should be able to advise you of scheduled dates.

Tips:

Prepare a short brief of the campaign and your ‘asks’ to give the MP
Explain that it is part of a wider campaign strategy – Lobby for the UN 2010-11
Try to have a specific ask – be clear about what you are asking them to do
If possible, make the campaign relevant to your area
Be prepared:

Do some background reading on the issue (links to issue briefings)
Make sure your arguments are clear in your own mind
Have list of possible questions to ask

Always send a letter of thanks following the meeting, reminding your MP of the discussion and any commitments made.

UNA-UK believes that a strong, credible and effective United Nations is in the UK’s national interest. We also believe that the UK, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council and major aid donor, is well-placed to be a champion of UN goals.

An informed and engaged British citizenry is vital to both these aims. We are therefore encouraging our supporters, local branches and student groups to take advantage of the free training and resources available to those wishing to find out more about the parliamentary system.

1. Free parliamentary training for individuals
Parliamentary Outreach holds free monthly drop-in sessions on topics including
• the role of Parliament
• the role of an MP
• the difference between Parliament and Government
• how a Bill becomes law
• how you can get involved with the work of Parliament
• general elections
Contact:
Tel: 020 7219 1650
Email: parliamentaryoutreach@parliament.uk
Click here to find out more http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/outreach-and-training/parliamentary-drop-in-sessions/

 

2. Free training for groups and organisations

Organised by the Parliamentary Outreach team, these sessions are strictly non-partisan and can be tailored to the specific interests of your organisation, including:

• an introduction to Parliament
• contacting MPs and Lords
• how Bills progress through Parliament
• parliamentary questions
• select Committee inquiries
• using the Parliamentary website to track particular subjects

Sessions can be held around the UK and normally last from one hour to a whole day.

Contact:
Parliamentary Outreach
Houses of Parliament
London SW1A 2TT
Telephone: 020 7219 1650
Email: parliamentaryoutreach@parliament.uk
Please include details of your location, the name of your organisation and any specific training requirements.

Click here for more information

Click here for information outreach by region

3. Attending meetings

A large part of parliamentary work takes places in committees, made up of smaller groups of MPs or Lords. These committees examine in detail issues from government policy and new legislation to wider topics such as foreign affairs.

Public committee sessions are open to everyone – click here for more information http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/attend/committees/

You can also watch debates in both the House of Commons and the House of Lords, including Question Time. Click here for more information http://www.parliament.uk/visiting/attend/debates/

Remember, live broadcasts from Parliament are available at http://www.parliamentlive.tv/Main/Live.aspx

 

4. Research parliamentary business

You can find out what’s on in:

- the House of Commons http://www.parliament.uk/business/commons/
- the House of Lords http://www.parliament.uk/business/lords/
- Committee inquiries http://www.parliament.uk/business/committees/inquiries-a-z/commons-inquiries/
- Bills currently before Parliament http://services.parliament.uk/bills/
- Early Day Motions http://edmi.parliament.uk/edmi/

You can also participate in free workshops on the passage of bills through Parliament, based on the forthcoming legislative programme, which include information on
• submitting evidence to a Public Bill Committee in the Commons
• engaging with members of the Lords as they consider a Bill
• accessing independent House of Commons Library research
• tracking the progress of a Bill online
• understanding secondary legislation
Click here for further information http://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/outreach-and-training/public-bill-workshops/

 

5. What can your MP do for you?

You can lobby your MP to:

Vote in debates, particularly to pass or block legislation
Table an amendment to a Bill passing through Parliament
Give voice to your campaign in the House of Commons by raising a question or tabling an EDM
Write to a government department or minister on your behalf
Introduce an Adjournment Debate in the House of Commons (or Westminster Hall)
Introduce a Private Members Bill in the House of Commons
Join the All-Party Parliamentary Group on the UN

It is important to note that if your MP is a Minister or Parliamentary Private Secretary or Opposition spokesperson they may be restricted in the actions open to them.

The UK Parliament only addresses issues relating to central government, therefore MPs only have influence over certain issues.

Other elected representatives

Members of the European Parliament (MEP)

MEPs have a responsibility to help you understand European laws and the impact they have in the UK. There are 87 MEPS in Britain, representing 12 European Parliament constituencies. Each constituency is represented by several MEPs – the number varies according to population numbers within the constituency.

It should be noted that there are different sorts of EU legislation which have different levels of impact on national laws – for example, the EU law on the freedom of movement of workers commands more weight in EU member states than laws on public health or culture.

What can your MEP do for you?

Vote in a certain way on legislation passing through the European Parliament
Put you in touch with other MEPs with an interest in your campaign issue
Represent your opinion in committee discussions on new laws

Devolved authorities

Lobbying Members of the Scottish Parliament (MSP)

Certain policy areas are devolved to the Scottish Parliament, including education, health, housing and the environment.

Each constituent is represented by eight MSPs – one for the constituency and another seven who are elected to represent the larger region. As a rule, your first point of contact should be your constituency MSP.

What can an MSP do for you?

 Ask a parliamentary question
 Contribute to parliamentary debates
 Table an amendment to a bill
 Introduce a member’s bill
 Write to or meet a relevant minister
 Contact relevant bodies (local councils, housing authorities, etc)

Lobbying Members of the Welsh Assembly (AM)

The Welsh National Assembly also has power over various devolved matters, including health, education, economic development and rural affairs. The Assembly can also amend laws passed by the British Parliament by passing secondary legislation, such as new orders, regulations and byelaws, but it cannot make new laws.

What can your AM do for you?

 Ask a question in the Assembly
 Write to or meet a relevant minister
 Represent the views of constituents on any committees on which they serve

Four Regional Committees meet twice during every Assembly term and are open to the public. After short presentations, the committee invites questions and comments from members of the public.

Lobbying Members of the Legislative Assembly (MLAs)

There are 18 constituencies in Northern Ireland and each is represented by six MLAs. Areas addressed by the Assembly include education, health and agriculture, but policing, taxation, foreign and defence policy is dealt with by central government.

What can an MLA do?

 Ask a question in the Assembly
 Introduce a Private Members Bill
 Write to or meet a relevant minister

 

Local government

Lobbying your local councillors

Local councils are run by elected councillors, voted for by local people. Councillors are responsible for making decisions about local services and policies, for example, recycling collections, sustainable planning and the environmental impact of new projects.

Each councillor represents an area called a ward, serving for four years. In England and Wales, there are over 20,000 councillors who represent their communities in 410 local authorities. They are not council employees.

What can a councillor do you for you?

 Exert influence to change council spending priorities or services
 Set up an advisory or working committee on an issue
 Vote in a certain way at council meetings
 Try to reverse a council decision
 Support local campaigns or organisations

Council scrutiny panels are a good opportunity to try and get your voice heard. Their purpose is to hold cabinets to account for their decision-making and the performance of the council and they generally invite councillors, council staff, outside experts and members of the public to give evidence.