Matter for discussion: Political influencing

The next General Election must be held by January 2025, with the expectation it will be held in Autumn 2024. Based on current polling, a change of government with a new set of policy priorities is expected. The election will be contested with many new constituency seats following boundary changes resulting in changes in the number of MPs from each UK nation; England will have an increase of ten seats, Wales will have a reduction of eight seats, Scotland will have a reduction of two seats, and seats in Northern Ireland will be unchanged.

Over 100 current MPs will be stepping down at the next election, and so there will be a large number of new MPs entering Parliament for the first time. Both a potential change of government and new MPs presents the RCN with a significant opportunity to use its influence and secure positive change for the nursing profession. 

The RCN will campaign and engage without fear or favour with political parties contesting the election on the issues that matter most to us. The RCN will always adhere to the Respect Charter and other legal regulations which govern us while campaigning. The RCN is not politically affiliated to and does not endorse specific political parties or candidates. We are also a wide-ranging membership with a diverse range of political views. Our actions will be governed by the Lobbying Act, a piece of regulation which sets out how an organisation can campaign during an election period.

Healthcare and wider health and care services consistently poll as the top issues that matter to voters, second only to the economy. As professionals with experience of the health and care system, we are an expert voice in debates about the state of these services and the wider nursing profession. 

On average, there are approximately 800 RCN members per parliamentary constituency, equivalent to 800 chances for direct engagement with candidates in each constituency. At the 2019 General Election, dozens of seats were won with a majority of 1,000 votes or less. RCN members and the wider nursing profession have the power to influence the outcome in many constituency elections. 

RCN members must have the knowledge, confidence, and resources during the election period to campaign locally in our own networks and communities. The future of the health and care system will be core to this General Election campaign – let’s take this opportunity to raise the voice of nursing.

The reading list for this debate is available here.