Check your email hasn't got lost - give your MP's office a call

MPs receive hundreds of emails everyday, so it’s very possible that your email’s been lost or buried in the inbox.

The best way to make sure your MP reads your email is to give their office a quick call. This will only take a couple of minutes (and you won’t have to get into transport policy with them, so don’t worry about that!). Just tell the office staff that you’re a constituent (they’re usually nice to constituents), and that you’re awaiting a response to an email you sent. Your MP’s office staff should then find your email, and nudge your MP to respond. 

Will you call your MP's office today and ask them to make your email a priority?

+ Instructions/What will happen

Your call should only take a few minutes, and it is extremely unlikely you will actually speak to your MP. The purpose of this call is not to convince your MP (or their staff) to back the frequent flyer levy. Instead, it is to remind them that you expect a response and encourage them to make it a priority.

  1. Introduce yourself (make sure to mention your'e a constituent)
  2. Explain that you’re waiting for a reply to your email, and explain that it is a matter of urgency as it refers to aviation policy as international travel picks up.
  3. Ask the staff to flag the email with your MP
  4. Offer to resend the email to a different email address (i.e. the staff member you are talking to)
  5. Send follow-up email

+ Script (in case you want one)

Hello,

My name is XXX and I'm one of your constituents. I'm calling because I emailed my MP last week [or when you emailed] and have not received any reply.

I understand that you must get a lot of emails, but my email refers to reducing emissions from flyring to protect the climate, and I'm conscious that more and more people are getting on planes and we're running out of time to tackle this.

I would like my MP to sign a letter in support of a frequent flyer levy. The government needs to do something to address air travel in order to meet its legally binding climate targets, and this is the only solution that is both effective and fair. All the details and instructions on how my MP can support the frequent flyer levy are in the email I sent.

Do you have the email in front of you, or shall I resend it? I understand that my MP is busy, but I would really appreciate an urgent reply.

All done? Send a follow up email.

It is quite likely that the office staff will ask you to resend the original email. In this case, please ask them for the best email address to use. This will likely be their email address and not your MP’s. You can find a copy of a template email tailored to your MP by following through the stages of our web tool. Alternatively, you can use this standard email we’ve drafted.

If you have any questions, email Ali at alethea.warrington@wearepossible.org.