write to my MP
why write to my mp?
MPs make the law and they are accountable to YOU as the people they represent. Writing to them is an easy and quick way to show them that their constituents care about single parents and that they need to do something about this.
How Do I Write to my mp?
Below is a template email you can use to write to your MP to tell them why you think single parents’ rights should be enshrined in the Equality Act. You can amend and personalise the letter as you wish. By giving them some insight into your own reasons for supporting this campaign it helps to bring the campaign to life and it can all be done in a few minutes.
If you receive a reply from your MP please do share it with us so we can track which MPs are supportive (or not!)
You don’t have to stop there, write to the PM on rishi.sunak.mp@parliament.uk and the Minister for Women and Equalities, Kemi Badenoch on kemi.badenoch.mp@parliament.uk If you’re a member of another political party you might also want to write to their leader too. And if you live round the corner from any of them, why not just drop off a hand written letter like our founded did with Dominic Cummings.
FIND YOUR MP
You can find your local MP here.
You can also write to your MSP in Scotland and MA in Wales, but ultimately it is Westminster which need to change the law.
LETTER TO YOUR MP ASKING FOR SINGLE PARENTS TO BE ADDED TO THE EQUALITY ACT - template
“Dear [insert MP name],
I am a member of your constituency and I am writing to you as [insert something personal here e.g. a single parent/ a single parent ally/ an adult raised by a single parent] about the discrimination that single parents regularly face in the workplace, benefits systems and from businesses. Research conducted by the campaign group Single Parent Rights has shown that up to 80% of single parents face discrimination.
The stigma single parents face from decades of negative stereotyping, paired with the bias towards two-parent families, means this discrimination occurs across all areas of life. The lack of protections afforded single parents means that this discrimination continues unchecked, leaving single parents to be legally treated as second class citizens.
I stand with single parents and the Single Parent Rights’ campaign group to call on the government to add single parents as the tenth protected characteristic to the UK Equality Act. Only once single parents are a recognised group in law, protected from unfair treatment, will single parents be treated equally by all and able to thrive in society.
I look forward to hearing from you on this matter and learning how the government have responded to this proposal.
Yours sincerely,
[insert name and postcode (your MP won’t be able to respond unless you can show you are a constituent of theirs)]”
TAKE MORE ACTIONS
Once you’ve emailed your MP, why not contact your local council to get them on board too? And remember to sign the petition asking for single parents’ rights to be enshrined in the Equality Act.