Help get the UK off gas with clean energy - give your MP’s office a call

We’re on the cusp of the clean energy revolution we’ve needed for so long, but ministers are divided over whether to race ahead with wind and solar, or go backwards with high-cost fracking.

Time is running out. Will you call your MP’s office to ask them to ask the Prime Minister to support onshore wind and get on with cleaning up our energy?

Calling your MP will only take a couple of minutes, and you don’t need expert knowledge. Just tell the office staff that you’re a constituent (they’re nice to constituents), follow the script below, and offer to send them the template email to the Prime Minister which we have provided.

If you prefer face to face interactions, most MPs have a surgery for constituents on Fridays where you can go and speak to them in person to have this conversation.

What to expect?

• Phone call

  Your call should only take a few minutes, and it is extremely unlikely you will actually speak to your MP. A member of staff will pick up the phone on their behalf, and conduct the conversation.

  1. Introduce yourself (make sure to mention you're a constituent)

  2. Explain that you are calling because you’ve heard that government ministers are currently debating the future of energy in the UK, and that you feel strongly that the future of energy in the UK lies in renewables, including onshore wind.

  3. Tell the member of staff that you would like your MP to contact the Prime Minister supporting clean, renewable energy over plans to drill for more oil and gas.

  4. Offer to send a template email for the MP to send to the Prime Minister to express their support for onshore wind and other forms of clean energy, and ask for an email address to send this template to (i.e. the staff member you are talking to)

  5. Send follow-up email

• In person

  If you go along to an in-person surgery on Friday, you will likely speak to your actual MP face to face. If you’d like to brush up on the blocks on wind and some key stats on how cheap and popular it is, we’ve got a briefing you can read here.

  1. Introduce yourself (make sure to mention you're a constituent)

  2. Explain that you’ve heard that government ministers are currently debating the future of energy in the UK, and that you feel strongly that the future of energy in the UK lies in renewables, including onshore wind.

  3. Tell your MP that you would like them to contact the Prime Minister supporting clean, renewable energy over plans to drill for more oil and gas.

  4. Offer to send a template email for the MP to send to the Prime Minister to express their support for onshore wind and other forms of clean energy, and ask for an email address to send this template to.

  5. Send follow-up email

Helpful resources

• Script (if you want one)

  My name is XXX and I'm one of your constituents. I'm calling because I wanted to express my strong views about the reported division in cabinet about the future of energy policy in the UK, and I hoped my MP would express my views directly to the Prime Minister.

  I appreciate you must get a lot of calls from constituents, but I understand that key decisions on energy security are being made right now, and that there is a debate between ministers who want to move ahead with clean renewable energy like onshore wind, and others who want to concentrate on dirty energy like fracked gas or more North Sea drilling.

  I would like my MP to contact the Prime Minister directly to express their support for clean energy, especially getting rid of the blocks on onshore wind. I’ve got a template email they could use to send the PM if that would be helpful, and I’d be happy to send it across.

  Can you advise the best email address to send this message for your consideration?

• Follow up email - with template for your MP

  Hello

  It was great to speak on the phone, thanks so much for your time.

  As discussed, I’m sending you this template email which I was hoping my MP could send to the Prime Minister in the coming hours or days, in support of clean energy and removing the blocks on onshore wind.

  I would appreciate it if you could let me know if these sentiments are something you could support, and if you are able to contact the Prime Minister to this effect.

  Thank you for your time and support

  NAME, Postcode

• More information about the blocks on onshore wind

  For information about the blocks on onshore wind in the UK, see this webpage and or this briefing document.

Whether it’s a phone call today or attending your MP’s in-person surgery for constituents on Friday, speaking to your MP or their team can really make a difference. This is especially the case If you’re represented by a Conservative MP. 

Let’s win this!

If you have any questions, or would like to tell us how your conversation went, email Ali at alethea.warrington@wearepossible.org.