Why can’t MPs can contact non-constituents

TSR George

Why? I contact MPs who are in charge of departments, I get told as you are not a constituents I can’t reply.

Reply 1

hotpud

Sounds like a standard response to someone who is too busy to talk to the little guy. To be fair, you need to go through your constituency MP who can ask formal questions of minsters.

The other way to go about arranging a meeting with senior ministers is to give £50k+ to the Tory party.

Reply 2

StriderHort

What business would you really have with an MP in this capacity? as opposed to contacting whatever department by the normal means. Is it just to send them loads of vague complaints about AI with no follow through like you do here?

Reply 3

L i b

Long-standing rules on how Parliament operates, different lobbying registration rules when dealing with non-constituents etc.

If you want to contact a government department, there are different channels for doing that. Their parliamentary and government roles are separate.

If you want to make a personal enquiry to an MP that isn't of a personal or constituency basis, you can do that - but expect to find your request at the very bottom of the list.

Reply 4

Quady

Because then they'd have 40,000,000 people liable to contact then rather than 100,000?

Fancy being one of the three people in the constituency office of an MP who is a minister in the Home Office under that scenario?

Reply 5

Quady

Have you tried using...
https://www.theyworkforyou.com/

The postcode lookup shows who works for you. MPs from othe constituencies don't work for you.

Obviously you can contact them. Give them a ring, message them on Facebook, meet up with them at an event or whatever... but they don't work for you. As a minister they work as part of His Majesty's government.