Writing to the Government

Will you have something you just have to say to the next government of this country?

It seems fitting somehow (not sure why) to follow-up our last blog with a quick clarification on how to write to MPs.

After all, the wait is nearly over. The campaigning is all but finished. We know the results are a tough one to call, and that whoever rises victorious from the hustings will have some tough calls to make.

So if you’re interested in sharing opinions, suggestions, recommendations, congratulations, or even a selection of budget recipes with whichever party (or parties) makes it past the post, here’s how to do it.

It’s considerably more straightforward than politics.

Prime Minister

For the new/re-elected PM, begin your epistle, ‘Dear Mr [insert surname here]’, or even more simply: ‘Dear Prime Minister’. Finish ‘Yours sincerely’.

The Cabinet

For the rest of the Cabinet, it’s just ‘Dear [appointment]’. For example, ‘Dear Minister’, ‘Dear Home Secretary’, ‘Dear Lord Chancellor’, ‘Dear Under-Secretary’ and so forth. If the appointment in question is particularly long-winded, it’s better to use their name. ‘Yours sincerely’ is the sign-off.

Envelopes

Members of the Cabinet are known as ‘Right Honourable’. The formula for addressing them on the envelope is:

The Rt Hon [title] [name] [honours], MP, [appointment/position]

Bear in mind they may not have a title (eg ‘Sir’), or any honours (for example, KBE, CBE etc).

So the next PM’s envelope would read (in your best handwriting):

The Rt Hon [Gordon Brown/David Cameron/Nick Clegg/Shock outsider], MP, Prime Minister.

Democracy

Now, after you’ve written your X, you’ll be well-equipped to write anything else you feel you must. Before then, of course, there’s just the small matter of counting the votes.

And you can also always have your say on what appears here. Just leave a comment below, or contact us directly. Write Now aims to address any questions you may have about business writing: blogging with the people, for the people.

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Author: Catie Holdridge

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Catie joined Emphasis in 2008 with an English literature and creative writing degree under her belt. She is production editor and co-writer of our online training programme, Emphasis 360; she's also written numerous articles for the Emphasis blog. And she keeps office repartee at a suitably literary level.