Send a Follow-up Email

A summary of the MP responses received between mid-May and early June

These are the mains points from a review of responses from conservative MPs

• HMG accepts that there is an issue with the Schengen 90/180-day rule for those with a second home in the EU.

• Letters to late May often contained the sentiment “future mobility arrangements with the EU are still subject to ongoing negotiations” We have looked high and low through official documents and conclude that future mobility arrangements refers to social security matters. Our analysis is here. More recently letters from HMG have been less specific and thus less open for analysis.

• Recent letters contain a new point that, the UK in offering 180 days visa-free to EU citizens, is simply treating EU citizen the same as anyone else.

General Guidance

We have drafted a template for the Conservative party MP and another for Opposition MPs. The main body of each letter is the same but they have different endings. Each template has an option for a constituency where, for many constituents , a holiday in Europe is just a dream and the MPs attention is correctly focused on those with more pressing needs.

There are detailed instructions to the start of the template. They include how to obtain your MPs email address though you may know it at this stage.

The text from the template can be copied to a new email and updated in line with the instructions

Option 1 - Conservative Party

This template has a choice of five different endings depending on whether a response has been received or not, and the type of response received. We have provided examples but please feel free to use your own words. The template calls on your MP, as your constituency MP, to press the Prime Minister, Cabinet Secretary and Foreign Secretary to take action to

a) ensure that tourist travel mobility is on the agenda for future relationship talks.

b) be proactive in seeking a balanced & reciprocal arrangement for travel mobility

c) openly ask the EU to give UK citizens 6 months / 180 days visa-free travel.

Please open the template here: https://bit.ly/180days-Letter-Conservative-2

Option 2 - Opposition Parties

The template is focused on the Labour Party as this accounts for the majority of opposition MPs who have been contacts. If your MP is from another party please tune the wording accordingly

It calls upon the Labour party to actively hold HMG to account on Future EU travel rights for UK citizens by actively raising it in the House and to the Select Committee for the Future Relationship with the EU.

Please open the template here: https://bit.ly/180days-Letter-Opposition-2

Please tell us which MP you contacted

Please use form at https://bit.ly/180days-form-contacted-MP

It is important to choose the letter type of "yy follow-up" as we will analyse them separately.

Response from your MP

Based on experience:

• You may get an automated email from your MP which acknowledges your letter. This means they got it but nothing else. It takes time for them to review correspondence received

• You may get a reply saying they have forwarded it to the minister for comment

We know MPs are dealing with huge volumes of correspondence so delays are inevitable. Though it may be frustrating to not get a response, we suggest you hold off chasing by email for 3 or more weeks.

If nothing has been received then our suggestion is to send a further email along the lines of being saddened and disappointed by lack of response to a constituent or use Follow-up Up Option 2 which has a choice of endings including no reply from your MP.