If you have written to your MP, have they replied?

Yes , mine does and the replies are full and considered.

My 6 year old GS is very interested in Big Ben at the moment. He looked into visiting times online and it says that there is an age limit, and he was too young. He decided to write to our local Tory MP asking why. She replied, explaining why, and said if he contacted her later that year she would arrange for him to visit the Houses of Parliament. Unfortunately that was just before Covid arrived so DGS has not been able to arrange the visit.

I have emailed both my current and previous MP (both same party) on my concerns for assylum for Afghans who worked for the British army in their country. We are a military constituency, the HQ of the Army Bomb Disposal Unit is staioned here.

Neither MP bothered to reply to me. I got the automatic reply saying they would reply within a fortnight, but nothing happened.

I did get thoughtful and considered reply from my MP. It wasn't the answer I had hoped for but he did reply.

I wrote to the minister for pensions this year as it was impossible to get through to them and I was getting very anxious. She did not reply herself but I then had a call from the pensions department who resolved my problem and they said to me ‘you contacted the minister didn’t you’ so they do read them or somebody does on their behalf. It worked for me.

I haven’t tried our latest MP, a LD. I’ve thought of asking for her stance on the ‘woman’ issue (referring to us as persons with cervixes and such nonsense) but I dare say (or perhaps I should say I fear) that she’ll be toeing the party line. Or else will give a non-commital answer.

Our previous MP, the Tory Zac Goldsmith, I have to say, replied very promptly on the one occasion I contacted him.

A newly graduated dd once did an internship with a former excellent LD MP. She saw a lot of correspondence - much of it was what she described as ‘in green ink, from nutters’.

At any rate, she was put off any sort of political career for life. They actually begged her to stand as a councillor locally - it was apparently so difficult to find anyone ‘normal’ to take it on. When she eventually made it clear that she wasn’t interested, they said, ‘What about your mum or dad?’

Yes and no. I got a reply to my first email but have heard nothing back from her after my second email which was a reply to her. Trying to protect the nearby countryside is of no concern to anyone it seems. I've had lots of help from the Woodland Trust though.

Yes, I have and he has always replied.

I wrote to Ed Miliband twice when he was a Minister and I'm still waiting for a reply ?
Should I give up hope!?

it is best to contact your MP for your area to ask questions rather than party leader or prime minister in my opinion and experience.

I've written a few times over the past year both to local MP and to AM members. MP never replied just the acknowledgement, AMs were a string of referrals. But eventually a very nice man lower down the ranks, replied when I asked the clinical reason for gardening gloves not being sold in the shops. We even had a little chat about getting gardening stuff during the spring lockdown. In the end I bought some in Poundland.

We did have a reply from PM's office,on headed paper, when Mrs Thatcher was there years ago, which dealt properly and relevantly to the question (I can't remember what it was about).

Yes, within 24 hrs. Asked for some more details and then sorted out the problem ?

Come the next election he’s got my vote.

It’ll be the first time I’ve voted Tory in my entire life!

I'm glad some of you have useful MPs. I wonder how you go about complaining about an MP not doing their job properly? Is there a way of doing this?

Ours doesn't live here OR hold a surgery. Ignores letters and local issues. I don't vote for them fwiw, why would I?

Yes I have written to my MP expressing concern about issues I knew had a HoC vote coming up. I received an amazingly patronising reply. Subsequently I was advised to include a sentence saying I didn't require a reply.

You should only write to your own MP apparently, and include address and phone number if you want to a response.

When I lived in South Norfolk, I found Richard Bacon - and his secretary - very helpful and got individual considered replies.

Now I've moved and found our old MP was more interested in his academic research than his constituents. His replacement at the last election does respond, but with obvious cut and pasted emails which don't always fit the situation. Hopefully he'll improve with experience!

all MPs have a constituency office and an agent and secretary working for them, that's where I would complain initially...

My (Tory) MP has blocked me on Facebook and has now refused to answer my emails. He was also unnecessarily rude in his emails. I'm sorry he didn't like hearing what I thought of him but I think dealing politely with stroppy constituents is part of the job.

His predecessor Philip Lee, who famously left the Tories in the run up to Brexit, was quite different. I had arguments with him but was always answered civilly and in depth.

Deedaa At least you got a response. I haven't even had that.

My granddaughter wrote to Boris when he went into hospital. She drew a picture of him with blonde sticky out hair and his secretary replied. She was chuffed as anything

Also Chloe Smith has helped a few people I know with different matters and very approachable.

I live in a marginal constituency, and have had very good and careful replies from previous and current MPs (Labour & Tory). Always acknowledged, and always thoughtful, even when I disagree.
However, I wouldn't vote for someone whose policies I disagreed with, however helpful they have been personally.

Our old MP replied every time, she then retired and the new one has not replied once.

lemsip

all MPs have a constituency office and an agent and secretary working for them, that's where I would complain initially...

But only if it seems it's an entirely constituency matter. I wrote to Raab a couple of years ago over some complete lie he had said as a minister and they wouldn't even pass it on to him because I wasn't a constituent.

Petera well he and his colleagues must get thousands of letters from all over the country so can't be expected to even see them.......secretaries take care of those that get through of course.

Yes, written to my MP (sometimes Labour, sometimes Conservative - I live in a marginal constituency) on several occasions (regarding national problems not personal ones). Both have replied to me on each occasion.