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 any policy specifics with them, so don’t worry about that!
Just tell the office staff that you’re a constituent (they’re usually extra 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 tax private jets fairly. Instead, it is to remind them that you expect a response and encourage them to make it a priority.
- Introduce yourself (make sure to mention you're a constituent)
- Explain that you’re waiting for a reply to your email, and explain that it is a matter of urgency as it refers to a policy issue that should be considered before the budget.
- Ask the staff to flag the email with your MP
- Offer to resend the email to a different email address (i.e. the staff member you are talking to)
- 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 the lack of tax on private jets, and I'm conscious that, with the Budget fast approaching, this is a critical time to consider the issue.
I would like my MP to raise the issue with the Chancellor. The government clearly needs to do something to fill the funding gap, and taxing private jets fairly could raise billions of pounds. Ordinary motorists currently pay tax on every litre of fuel they buy, but private jet fuel is currently exempt from paying any tax at all.
All the details and instructions on how my MP can take action on this issue 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. Just enter your postcode and on the next page you’ll be able to copy the email from there and paste it into your email to the new email address you’re given by your MP’s office staff.