Why this guidance?
MADE in Britain wants to help members connect with their local MPs in order for local MPs to champion the interests of individual Made in Britain members, as well as Made in Britain as a whole.
Please note
Made in Britain’s mission is simple: to help members sell more of what they make, to buyers and consumers in the UK and overseas. Made in Britain aims to work closely with government and all MPs. Made in Britain is independently governed and owned by our members. We do not have any political affiliation.
Step-by-step guide
1. Find out who your local MP is here: https://members.parliament.uk/members/commons
2. Their contact details will be available by clicking on their name, for example: https://members.parliament.uk/member/1423/contact
3. Where both a Parliamentary and Constituency address are provided (e.g. https://members.parliament.uk/member/4088/contact) then you should address them at their Constituency address, copying their Parliamentary address.
4. Prepare your correspondence. We suggest email is best, although you may wish to make contact by social media or post. See below for some draft wording that you can draw on if writing by email or letter*.
5. Send your correspondence and, if referring to Made in Britain, copy Made in Britain’s trade@madeingb.org email. While we can’t commit to following-up on all member correspondence with MPs, we will support where we can.
6. If you don’t hear back from your local MP within two weeks (ten working days), you should re-send your correspondence and/or attempt to call their office, via the number provided in the contact details on the Parliament website.
7. Let us know how you get on, via trade@madeingb.org
Wording your correspondence
Things to consider:
Write about what is important to you. If you don’t want to start with a blank piece of paper then you may wish to use the following draft wording that Made in Britain has prepared*.
- Be clear and concise about what your are asking about or calling attention to. MPs receive a high volume of correspondence so it is important to get to the point.
- If you want to propose your MP asks a question for you in the House of Commons: https://www.parliament.uk/about/mps-and-lords/members/raising/
- When is a good time for you, according to the ask or issue you are writing in relation to. Timing could be key in you making the most of the correspondence and engagement.
- If you would like the MP to visit your factory.
- How you might use the engagement with the MP for PR/media purposes, particularly if you are inviting them to visit your factory.
*Draft wording:
Dear [MP],
I write on behalf of my company, [company name]. We are based in [location] and we manufacture [insert].
As our local MP, we wanted to [insert details of what you want ask about or call the MP’s attention to].
[Provide some brief background and details about what makes your company interesting/important. This could be how long you have been operating, how many people you employ, an upcoming announcement, particularly challenges you are facing].
We are also a proud member of Made in Britain. Made in Britain brings together the British manufacturing community, united with the use of the registered Made in Britain mark. You can find more details here: https://www.madeinbritain.org/
We look forward to hearing from you.
Yours sincerely,
[Name]
[Job title]
Other tips and tools
If you have any queries on the above process then please contact: trade@madeingb.org
- If you would like to monitor what your local MP says in Parliament, you can do so via this website: https://www.theyworkforyou.com/
- We recommend referring to Made in Britain if it gives added weight to your correspondence. If you would prefer not to or have any concerns about your contact being ‘political’, please do not make any reference to Made in Britain.
By Made in Britain 3 years ago | Government & Supply Chains