Get MS on the agenda – tips for speaking with candidates
On the doorstep, in the street or at a public meeting – here's how to get MS on the agenda with your local candidates.
Who are my local candidates?
If you’re not sure who your local candidates are, you can find out by putting your postcode in at: https://whocanivotefor.co.uk/
Here are some suggested questions you could ask:
- If elected, how will you improve the benefits process, including PIP assessments?
- If elected, how will you help support people with MS to stay in work if they can?
- If elected, how will you improve neurology services in the UK?
Sharing your experiences
Candidates will want to hear about your own experience of MS and why issues matter to you. Whether it’s about disability benefits, a local accessibility issue or treatment access at your local hospital – this is your chance. Ask your future MP to make a difference for you and the MS community.
Fill out our form to send emails to local candidates
Parliamentary candidate and previous MP for Warrington North, Charlotte Nichols, joined us for our campaign training session on influencing decision makers in March.
Read the blog about the tips she shared for talking to MPs and candidates
To find out more about what we’re calling for, read our full manifesto.
Key statistics
MS can be misunderstood. To help, here’s some key facts about the issues facing the people with MS. You can use them to explain to candidates the challenges that the MS community faces:
- MS is a neurological condition affecting over 150,000 people in the UK
- 6 in 10 people with MS said their PIP assessment report didn’t accurately reflect their MS
- More than a quarter (28%) of people with MS said they’d left their job due to their employers’ actions. Or because their employer failed to put in place support.
- At the start of 2024, over 235,000 people were waiting for a neurology appointment in England. Of those, over 8,000 had been waiting over a year.
- The UK ranks 44 out of 45 European nations for the number of neurologists for each person with a neurological condition
What can I ask my candidates to do?
If your candidate seems interested in showing more support, that’s great. Please ask them to read our manifesto. You could also ask them to join the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) for MS, if they’re elected. And encourage them to get in touch with the MS Society to find out more about speaking up for MS, by emailing [email protected]g.uk.
Sharing your conversations
It’s really useful to know what future MPs say about supporting people with MS. If you have any conversations, please let us know what they say by emailing us at [email protected].
We’ll use this information when we contact MPs after the election to hold them to account for their promises and encourage them to speak up for MS, now they have a seat in parliament.
We've created a printable leaflet with all the suggested questions and key statistics for talking to your local candidates.
Download our tips for speaking to candidates
Speaking to candidates, black and white version (PDF, 129 KB)
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