General Election 2024: 5 things you can do right now
Time for action
With the General Election set for 4 July, the coming weeks present a unique opportunity for us to get cancer squarely on the agenda for the next UK Government. With candidates busy speaking to, and hearing from their constituents, now is your chance to be the voice for better cancer care in your community.New Members of Parliament (MPs) need to know that whoever their constituents are, wherever they’re from, whoever they vote for, cancer is important to them. MPs work to make things better for people living in their constituency and that includes many people with cancer, their families and friends.
Whether you’ve been through cancer yourself or you know someone who has, or if you just want to support people living with cancer, here are just a few ways for you to engage with the parliamentary candidates in your area.
Email your Prospective Parliamentary Candidate (PPCs)
If you have 5 minutes
If you haven’t already, contact your local candidates now. Take five minutes using online campaign tool to ask them: “Will your transform cancer care in the next Parliament?”. This is a great way to engage with candidates without a face-to-face meeting. After taking action, share the campaign with friends and family via email or social media – we would love their support too.
Speak to your local candidates
If you have ten minutes
There’s a chance your local candidates could soon knock on your door. Why not pop our poster in your window, it’s a great way to get the attention of candidates and their supporters who are canvassing for votes. It may also help to keep a note by the door of questions you’d like to ask so you don’t feel lost for words. Here’s some ideas to get you started!
- If elected, will you pledge to raise the voices of people living with cancer in Parliament and revolutionise cancer care for people now and in the future?
- If elected, will you commit to ensuring Parliament transforms peoples experience of living with cancer?
- If elected, will you work with Macmillan to make sure people can access the right cancer care and support every step of the way?
- If elected, will you pledge to help Macmillan make sure cancer care remains a priority in the next Parliament?
Meet with your candidate
If you have one hour
If you can have a meeting with one or more of your candidates, this is a chance to have a chat with them about how you’d like them to support you, and their role in transforming cancer care for people now and in the future. We'd encourage you to invite all your area's candidates to meet you, even if not all of them can attend.
Beforehand, write down some bullet points of the key issues you want to discuss. During the meeting, make sure your candidates know exactly what you want them to do. For example, you could ask them to raise your concerns with their party leaders or what action they will take in your area. If you’re planning to meet your candidates, we’d love to help you prepare - drop us an email at campaigns@macmillan.org.uk
Attend a husting or local event
If you have two hours
A husting is a public event where you have the chance to ask your candidates about what they stand for. As this is an unexpected General Election, very few people will have had a chance to organise a hustings event but with so many seats expected to change, one might be announced in your area soon. You can usually find out from your local press or a quick Google. If you’re planning to go to (or organise!) a hustings event, why not ask one of the questions above. We’d love to hear what sort of responses you get; you can email us at campaigns@macmillan.org.uk.
Stay connected and share your progress
Starting can feel overwhelming, but we’re here to help you
Whether that’s drafting letters, preparing speaking points, helping you develop your own ideas, or in feeling confident about speaking to your own personal experience. Email us on campaigns@macmillan.org.uk. It doesn't matter who you are or what your connection to Macmillan – if you feel passionately about improving cancer care, you can help make a difference! No matter where you live, or how much time you have to spare, everyone can help our campaigning efforts.
Join our campaign network
Over the next few weeks we’ll be sharing easy, simple steps you can take to make cancer care a priority for the next government. Simply sign up to our short email updates today and you’ll be the first to hear how you can help.
Stay informed and engaged
Be the first to hear about new ways to get involved and stay up to date with opportunities to take action by keeping an eye on the General Election section of our website. Here you'll find our latest information about the election, including our weekly blog series and campaign updates. Together we can have a real impact for people living with cancer.
Got questions? We want to hear from you! Email us at campaigns@macmillan.org.uk.
About our information
This information was written by the Advocacy team and edited by our Digital Content team.
Learn more about the campaign work we do to influence governments and shape policy.-
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