How we made our voice heard during the 2024 General Election and our next steps

We’d been preparing for a general election since the start of the year by:

• Briefing parties as they develop their manifestos
• Speaking to key decision makers
• Working with campaigners to identify the key issues to raise.

However, like many others, we were surprised when a snap election was called for 4 July!

We rapidly produced and distributed resources so supporters and campaigners could engage with candidates standing in their local area, and also let us know about any conversations they had.

We’re keen to follow up with the successful candidates who agreed to visit our local groups or support our future work.

If you were able to speak to your candidate, please complete this form.

Engaging with candidates

We were delighted that supporters from Cumbria to Yeovil spoke to their candidates about: 

• long waiting times

• social care provision

• the unfairness of prescription charges

• medicines supply issues

• awareness of the condition

• research funding.

Many of the candidates our supporters spoke to have vowed to come back to visit Parkinson’s UK groups if elected.

Campaigns volunteer Nicky said: 

“Members of the local Sheffield support group of Parkinson’s UK wrote to every election candidate across the various constituencies, we focused on Blue Badges as it’s a real issue in our area.

“We’ve been really pleased that some of the candidates responded and suggested they’d meet with us after the election if they’re successful.”

Our next steps and how you can help

As the new government forms, we’ll be asking to meet with the relevant Ministers and Secretaries of State to ensure they better understand the condition and what the Parkinson’s community needs.

We’ll also be contacting all MPs and encouraging them to:

• Meet with us and members of the Parkinson’s community at the autumn party conferences (Liberal Democrat, Labour and Conservative)
• Join the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Parkinson’s, so we have supporters in Parliament who can raise issues on our behalf.

Please ask your MP to meet with us, by emailing them.

Natasha Burgess, Public Affairs Lead at Parkinson’s UK said: 

“Now is the prime time to encourage newly elected MPs to work with us. We can plug into parliament with briefings, but the real electricity comes from members of the community.

“If you ask your MP to take action, they are far more likely to engage. As their local constituents with personal experience of Parkinson’s, you have the most compelling voice and can inspire your MP to campaign for better services, treatments and support, and to give them the energy to stay the distance.”