Contact your Member of Parliament

How to contact your MP properly

Your MP can help raise issues, contact government departments and ministers, make enquiries on your behalf and raise matters in Parliament. To give your MP the best chance of helping, make sure you contact the correct MP and include enough information for their office to understand your case.

1. 1

   Step 1: Find the MP who represents you

   For personal constituency casework, you should normally contact the MP who represents the address where you live. Use the postcode search above to find your MP.

   Find my MP

   Your postcode is used to identify your parliamentary constituency and the MP who currently represents it.

2. 2

   Step 2: Your MP needs to know who you are

   When contacting your MP about a personal or constituency matter, include your full name and full residential address.

   Daniel Example
   12 Example Street
   Example Town
   AB1 2CD

   MPs' offices normally use your address to confirm that you live in the constituency they represent. If you leave your address out, their office may need to contact you again before they can deal with your enquiry.

   Important: Include your full home address, not just your postcode.

3. 3

   Step 3: Keep it clear and factual

   Explain what has happened, who is involved and what you have already done.

   It usually helps to include:

   • the organisation or department involved
   • important dates
   • reference or case numbers
   • FOI reference numbers
   • complaint reference numbers
   • names of relevant public bodies
   • a short explanation of what went wrong

   You do not need to write a huge essay. A clear timeline and the important facts are usually more useful.

4. 4

   Step 4: Ask for a specific action

   Say clearly what help you are asking your MP for. For example:

   • Please contact the department on my behalf.
   • Please ask the Minister to explain this decision.
   • Please raise this matter with the relevant authority.
   • Please ask whether a Parliamentary Question can be raised.
   • Please request an update on my case.
   • Please raise concerns about how this public body has handled the matter.
   • Please consider meeting me to discuss this issue.

   An MP can help more easily when they understand exactly what outcome you are asking for.

5. 5

   Step 5: Include useful evidence

   Attach or reference documents that help explain your case, such as:

   • FOI responses
   • complaint decisions
   • ICO correspondence
   • council letters
   • government department letters
   • screenshots
   • case references
   • relevant PublicAudit research

   Do not send dozens of unrelated documents. Include the material that directly supports the issue you are raising.

6. 6

   Step 6: Use a useful email subject

   For example:

   • Constituent enquiry – Home Office case – Ref ABC123
   • Constituent enquiry – FOI handling concern – Ref FOI/2026/123
   • Request for assistance – Council housing case
   • Constituent concern – Department for Work and Pensions

   A clear subject helps the MP's office understand and route your message quickly.

7. 7

   Step 7: Contact your own MP first

   For personal constituency casework, avoid sending the same request to large numbers of MPs. Your own constituency MP is normally the appropriate person to approach.

   You may still contact other MPs about national policy, committee work, campaigns or their parliamentary roles, but they may not take on personal casework for someone outside their constituency.

8. 8

   Step 8: Keep the message professional

   You can strongly disagree with a decision or public body without being abusive. A concise, factual and professional message is more likely to be understood and acted upon.

9. 9

   Step 9: Understand what an MP can and cannot do

   An MP can make representations, contact departments, ask questions, raise concerns and apply political pressure.

   An MP generally cannot personally overturn a court decision, order the police to take action, force an independent regulator to decide a case in a particular way, or guarantee that a department will change its decision.

10. 10

    Step 10: What happens next?

    1. •You contact your MP
    2. ↓The MP's office checks your constituency details
    3. ↓A caseworker reviews the issue
    4. ↓They may ask you for more information
    5. ↓The MP or caseworker may contact the relevant organisation
    6. ↓You receive a reply or update

    Response times vary between MPs and depend on the complexity of the issue and the volume of correspondence their office receives.

11. 11

    Step 11: Example MP email

    Example MP email

    Subject: Constituent enquiry – FOI concern – Ref FOI/2026/123
    
    Dear [MP name],
    
    I am a constituent living at the address below and I am contacting you regarding an issue with [organisation].
    
    On [date], I submitted a Freedom of Information request concerning [brief subject].
    
    The authority responded on [date] and [briefly explain the issue].
    
    I have since [submitted an internal review / contacted the organisation / contacted the ICO].
    
    My reference number is [reference].
    
    I would be grateful if you could [clearly state requested action].
    
    I have attached the relevant correspondence for reference.
    
    Kind regards,
    
    [Full name]
    [House number and street]
    [Town/City]
    [Postcode]

    Find your MP first, then the PublicAudit writing tool will build a message in this structure for you.

    Use this structure

12. 12

    Step 12: Before you send

    • ☐I am contacting the correct constituency MP
    • ☐I have included my full name
    • ☐I have included my full residential address
    • ☐I have explained the problem clearly
    • ☐I have included important reference numbers
    • ☐I have said what I want my MP to do
    • ☐I have attached only relevant evidence
    • ☐I have checked the message before sending