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In this article, volunteer, Sachin, takes us through how you can change the laws of England and Wales. This is the second article in the ‘how laws are made’ series. Be sure to check out the first that covers how laws go from ideas in parliament to enforceable by the courts.

There are many ways young people can make laws. This article will show you how.

Writing to your MP about an issue.

If you have an issue about any laws that affect you, your family or your community, your first port of call should be to contact your MP. You can email, write, telephone, tweet them and even attend one of their ‘surgeries’ (weekly meetings MPs hold for their constituents).

The most reliable way to find out who your MP is to input your location here - https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP. You will then find the contact information for the MP and get in touch with them however you wish.

What can an MP do?

Once your MP has received your communication, there are many things they can do. They may be able to reply to you directly, especially if it is the policy they support. Or, they can submit a written question to the relevant government minister. For example, if you are unhappy with sport ticket prices, your MP will submit a written question to the Minister for Sport, Media, and Culture. Once the minister has answered the question, the MP will let you know.

If the issue is significant enough, the MP may bring it up in the House of Commons during a parliamentary session. For example, if many people have complained to your local MP about the ticket prices; instead of simply writing to the minister, the MP may directly ask the minister in the House of Commons. Then, you will be able to get an answer.

Finally, if there are any upcoming votes in parliament, you can contact your MP to persuade them to vote a certain way. Again, if there was a vote on raising sports tickets, you may want to convince your MP to vote against the measure. The MP does not have to vote in the way you want them to, but they may factor it into their decision.

Petitioning to parliament directly

Alternatively, you do not have to go to your MP. You can set up a petition here: https://petition.parliament.uk/ on almost any topic you want (provided it meets certain guidelines). If you get 10,000 e-signatures, the government has to respond. If you get 100,000 e-signatures, the petition will have to be debated in parliament. The most recent petition which reached parliament was considering whether to revoke the TV licence.

Debate around A-Level and GCSE Exams because of this petition

Make a law around a certain topic.

If you want to make a change and have enough support, you do NOT necessarily have to change the law. In other words, you don’t have to contact your MP, and you don’t have to start a petition. You can campaign independently. One of the most significant examples of this is Clare’s Law.

This is a law that is designed to tackle domestic violence. It was adopted in England and Wales in 2014. It began after Michael Brown lost his daughter to domestic violence. He campaigned for the Law to make it easier to get police data on potential abusers and also allow the police to disclose this data publicly.

Michael Brown campaigned for changes to the UK law. He received significant support, and eventually, the UK government conducted a public consultation. From the results, the government believed there was enough support to allow police to give data to the general public who fear their partner may have a history of domestic violence. And that the police can release this data if the circumstances necessitate such action.

This was enough support for the government to issue a guideline to police authorities known as the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (“DVDS”) around the UK. All police authorities follow the scheme even though it is not a statute (i.e., written law).

Clare’s Law demonstrates that if you garner enough support for a meaningful cause, you can really make a difference to justice in the UK.

By Sachin Varma

Leducate Explains: How You Can Make Laws