Image by Sue Styles from Pixabay
Meeting your representatives
Over half of all Members of Parliament (MPs) who were elected in the 2024 General Election were new to the role. This means there are a lot of new decision-makers who haven't yet got much experience of the climate and nature issues that you care about. That means now is the perfect time to meet them in person to start that relationship.
It's important that everyone has an equal opportunity to connect with their MP. Read more about meeting MPs and accessibility
We have all the tools you need to talk to your representatives about nature and climate. From how to contact your MP to building confidence around meeting up, you will find lots of examples, tips, guidance and support here.
All these links will take you to another page, but you can come straight back and keep following the guide at any time!
Contacting your MP is the one of the first steps in getting to know local decision-makers. There are several ways you can get in touch:
Prefer a video? Louise from Tees Valley Wildlife Trust talks here about how she contacted her MP:
Do you live in Wales, Scotland, or Northern Ireland? Check out the advice on our incredibly useful Nextdoor Nature Hub around contacting your Members of the Senedd (Wales), Member of the Legislative Assembly (Northern Ireland), and your Member of Scottish Parliament (Scotland).
Ideally, all MPs will host a ‘nature surgery’ in their first 100 days in their new role, and Wildlife Trusts are encouraging MPs to do this. A 'nature surgery' means dedicating some time in their constituency to meet with local people to specifically discuss wildlife and climate issues and opportunities. Please urge your MP to consider holding a nature surgery, include this ask in your own emails and letters!
Wildlife Trusts can help to set up or host these surgeries locally if MPs would like some support.
Peter Cairns/2020VISION
Step 2 – Confidence
Whether it is an MP or a Councilor or someone else in a different important role, confidence is key to having a great conversation.
The Nextdoor Nature Hub includes some handy resource on how to feel confident when talking to decision-makers:
We can also share some real-life experiences that constituents have had in Berkshire, Buckinghamshire, and Oxfordshire Wildlife Trust (BBOWT), as inspiration...
Restore Nature Now rally - Guy Shorrock
Step 3 – Your message
When contacting MPs, it's easy to focus on issues but don't forget to also talk about opportunities, and solutions! It’s helpful to have a real-life example of an issue in your local area, and what you feel a solution could be.
We ran an online workshop in 2023 around how to recognise the common ground there is between what you care about, and what your MP cares about. The exercise in this workshop may be helpful to you - check it out! The workshop is in the context of farming, but the method of connecting with your MP is similar across all themes:
Disability and Politics
We know that engaging with politicians is not always as accessible as it should be. It’s important that everyone has the opportunity to connect with their elected officials, so we have aimed to provide the most straightforward guidance. However, we know that these barriers can be different for everyone. You can find out more about this from the Sense research at the link below.
If you are physically unable to contact your MP, you could ask a family member, a friend, or your carer to contact them on your behalf. If you are unable to visit your MP, you can contact them via email or request a phone conversation instead.
Organising a group
If you would like support to meet with your MP, contact your local Wildlife Trust who can help link you up with other people in your area. Meeting MPs with others helps take the pressure off you as an individual:
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