a summer election

On 4 July 2024, the UK goes to the polls to vote for the next Government. Whoever wins will have a mandate to lead Britain’s engagement with the wider world as well as domestic policy. This is a chance to show Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs) of all parties that people in the constituency care about ending global poverty and injustice.

The 5 weeks before the election is a fantastic opportunity for campaigners to secure new MPs’ support for policies on poverty reduction over the course of the next Parliament and beyond.

what

MPs elected to Parliament this year can influence the UK’s approach to global poverty

who

Parliamentary candidates need to know their prospective constituents care about international issues

how

contact your election candidates that there’s support in their constituency for global poverty reduction

what’s happening?

Now that an election has been called, Parliament is ‘prorogued’ (suspended), existing MPs formally lose their role, and all the candidates – of all parties, not just the previous MP – have equal status, so you should try to engage with all of them.

Whether your new MP ends up in the party of government or on the opposition benches, they could become influential and in a position to take action on international issues, whether by taking part in debates, or by becoming members of relevant parliamentary committees or groups.
To advance the issues that Results cares about, we work with MPs from across the political spectrum, whether in Government or opposition. It is important to have champions for development across all major political parties.

This month, please contact your local PPCs to tell them about the international issues you care about, such as ending global poverty and promoting the Sustainable Development Goals. Showing them that people in the constituency care is far more important than briefing them on particular development issues at this stage.

why contact Prospective Parliamentary Candidates

Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs) are the people who are standing to contest the next General Election, including existing MPs where they intend to stand for re-election. If elected, they will be influential and need to know about their constituents’ concerns on local and international issues. With many MPs not standing again this election, the make-up of Parliament will change dramatically, so it will be very important to start building relationships with new MPs while they are still candidates.

how to contact candidates

If you are not sure which parliamentary constituency you are in, you can find out here.

Your candidates may already be listed on the Who Can I Vote For? website or on Wikipedia. A key source for researching your candidates are local newspapers. And many PPCs also have websites with more information where you will be able to find their email address.

some top tips

Have your talking points at hand in case candidates or election agents come to your door canvassing. International development issues are rarely raised on the doorstep and doing so will be noticed!

Work with like-minded people to arrange meetings with each of your candidates to ask their views on international development issues. This could be fellow Results Group members, or members of other development, environment or justice groups.

Tell the candidates your views as well as asking questions – they are unlikely to know a lot about specific global health or education issues, but may have general opinions on the UK’s role in international development.

You don’t need to be an expert! As a constituent, you aren’t expected to know the ins and outs of complex issues. The most important thing is to be yourself and explain why you care. Candidates will want to hear about what matters to you as their constituent.

If you can’t get to meet them, then letters to all the candidates are a good idea too.

If there are ‘hustings’ meetings in your area (where a panel of candidates all get to air their views on a range of topics in public), it can be worthwhile asking a question so the candidates have to express their views publicly. (note that hustings don’t always happen in constituencies as candidates sometimes refuse to take part).

You can get a group of campaigners together to organise your own hustings, but if you do, there’s not much time, so start planning now!

dos and don’ts of campaigning during general elections

Invite all the candidates to your event, not just the ones you think are most likely to win or to be most supportive of international development. By law, charities must be impartial and not favour individual candidates or parties, so please ensure your personal political views are kept separate from your role as a Results campaigner!

Don’t publicly compare the political parties’ stances on the issues, which could be interpreted as partisan. But do record the views expressed by each candidate and please let us know!

Make sure you are registered to vote and are on the electoral register. You can register to vote up to three weeks before the General Election. Encourage your friends and family to register to vote as well – an important democratic responsibility! You can register to vote through your local council. Remember to take your ID with you when you go to vote.

take action!

write to your PPCs and tell them why you care about ending global poverty

engage with your candidates on social media

share your views with PPCs on the doorstep or at hustings

watch our advocacy workshop on targeting election candidates to end global poverty

I took action!

we’re here to support you!

Each individual constituency is different, and whether you have a sitting MP who is likely to be re-elected, or a selection of new faces, there is always a way to raise your concerns effectively.

If you have any questions, just get in touch, and we’ll put you in contact with an expert member of staff from our Parliamentary Team. Email Naveed Chaudhri, Head of Campaigns, at [email protected].