The General Election 2024 toolkit
On 22 May, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that there would be a General Election on 4 July. This means Parliament will be dissolved on 30 May and there’ll no longer be any sitting Members of Parliament (MPs).
Instead, there’ll be Prospective Parliamentary Candidates (PPCs) representing many political parties, running for election – with many current MPs running for re-election – in the 650 seats across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
An election provides an opportunity like no other. There’ll be a whole new cohort of Members of Parliament elected and a new government. While we don’t know what that new government will look like, we know that by engaging any potential new MPs early on could get us off to a flying start in continuing to push for our asks for the community when the election is over!
How can I help?
We’ve put together a toolkit of resources to help anyone who’d like to campaign with us during the General Election 2024. No matter how much or little you feel up to doing, hopefully there’ll be something for everyone to get involved with in this toolkit.
Below you’ll find a variety of resources from tips for interacting with PPCs, to questions to ask if someone comes to your door. From template letters to the candidates, to a poster you can display in your front window.
What are we asking for?
For years, people diagnosed with a brain tumour have fallen through the cracks. Our Improving Brain Tumour Care Surveys tell us that some people take months to receive a diagnosis, don’t have access to support, undergo harsh treatments that have not improved in decades, and don’t have opportunities to participate in clinical trials.
We believe that the only way to tackle the broad range of challenges faced by the brain tumour community is a National Brain Tumour Strategy.
Earlier this year, over 52,000 of you signed our open letter to the Health Ministers across the UK and joined our call for an overhaul in how we tackle the barriers facing us as a community across the whole brain tumour pathway.
Ahead of the General Election 2024, our ask is no different. We want to see all political parties commit to implementing a National Brain Tumour Strategy.
Where should I start?
One of the first things you may want to do is to find out who your local PPCs are. To do this you can visit the website Who Can I Vote For? and enter your postcode.
Don’t worry if not all the candidates from each party are on that website. Not all the candidates will have been announced yet and some of their contact details are missing. This website will continue to be updated as we approach the election so keep checking back!
Next, download our toolkit and start spreading the word!
Download the General Election 2024 toolkit
Our General Election 2024 toolkit includes:
- Key messages
- Tips on getting in touch and communicating with candidates
- Template letter if you want to meet with candidates
- Template letter if you don’t want to meet with candidates
- Posting on social media
- Advice on what you can ask if you speak to the candidates
- A poster you can print out and put on display in your window.
Key messages
Find stats and information about brain tumours to share in your campaigning.
Getting in touch with candidates
Find some useful tips on discovering your local candidates, contacting them and more.
Templates for writing to candidates
Download these templates for writing to your local candidates, whether you’d like to meet with them or not.
Posting on social media
Get tips on posting on social media about the General Election2024 plus some suggestions for posts.
Questions to ask if someone comes to your door or calls you
Here are some questions you can ask your local candidates if they contact you.
A poster for your window
Print off this poster and stick it inside your front window to show your support for a National Brain Tumour Strategy.
Good luck!
We’d love to hear about how your campaigning is going. Please do get in touch with us if you have any responses or interactions with your local candidates by emailing us at policy@thebraintumourcharity.org.