Requesting a correction from your MP: a guide for constituents

Full Fact regularly checks claims made by MPs and if we find them to be false or misleading, we will often ask MPs to publicly correct themselves. 

If you’ve spotted a claim your MP has made which you think we should fact check then please let us know by filling out our contact form. 

Full Fact doesn’t have the capacity to fact check all claims by MPs. If your MP has made a claim which you think is factually wrong and should be corrected, this guide gives you the information you need to do this yourself.

Is it a claim which requires correcting? 

It’s important to recognise the difference between fact and opinion. You’re more likely to secure a correction from your MP if the claim they made was factually inaccurate or clearly misleading, and you can show why. 

People often make small or trivial mistakes that don’t matter much so it is worth considering what makes the claim important and why it should be corrected.

What sources are you relying on to request a correction?  

You should look for evidence which clearly shows that your MP has made a factual error or a misleading statement. Use reliable, authoritative and trustworthy sources to do this. This is still important even if you have a particular interest in the subject and think you know it is wrong from your own knowledge. 

How to request a correction

You can contact your MP directly to ask for a correction. The contact details for every MP can be found by searching for their page on Parliament’s website. 

Most MPs also hold surgeries in their constituency to give people an opportunity to meet them and discuss matters of concern, so asking them in person is another option available to you. 

What to include in your email

  • We know that MPs often receive abusive messages, so make sure your email is polite and that your tone will be read as civil.  If you are unsure how to address your MP, check what their correct title is. This information is available on Parliament’s website.  
  • Let your MP know that you are one of their constituents and give them your full name and postal address.
  • Provide details of the claim your MP made, including where and when they said it, and a link to the claim, where possible. Explain why you believe the claim is wrong. Try to keep this to just a few sentences, and refer to reliable sources to support your argument.
  • If you have a personal or professional connection to the topic of the claim you are writing to your MP about then do mention it. You might want to share why you care about the topic and/or why you feel it’s important that MPs correct the record.
  • Ask them to take action on their false or misleading claim. This could be asking them to make a correction, or asking them to bear your concerns in mind when discussing the same topic in future.
  • You can remind your MP that there is a requirement for all MPs to adhere to the Seven Principles of Public Life - these state that public office-holders should be honest and truthful.

How can your MP make a correction? 

In Parliament:

  • If they are a Government Minister they can make a correction to the official record on Hansard here.
  • If they are not a Government Minister, they are unable to correct the official record in the same way, and they instead have the option to raise a Point of Order. (Full Fact is campaigning to change this so that all MPs have the ability to correct the official record, you can show your support for our campaign here)

Outside of Parliament:

  • If a false or misleading claim was made in a newspaper article, you can ask your MP to contact the newspaper to request they publish a correction. 
  • If what they said was during an appearance on radio or tv, there are often ways for them to inform the programme makers.  
  • If your MP made the claim on social media or elsewhere, there are often simple ways they can make a correction on the same platform.

Remember, if your MP has got something wrong, the responsibility is on them to correct this when you’ve made them aware of their mistake. Don’t feel you have to specify how you want them to correct their claim as simply asking them for a correction should be sufficient. 

What you can do if you don’t get a response from your MP or your MP refuses to make a correction

MPs have a responsibility to represent the interests and concerns of their constituents so you’re entitled to expect a response. 

Your MP might get back to you and tell you they do not plan to make a correction. It might be that you’re satisfied with their response and decide to leave it at this. 

However, if you feel they’re wrong not to make a correction then you can go back to them and let them know you’re not satisfied with their decision. At this stage you could escalate this further. If you know they’re repeating a claim made originally by their political party for example, then it could be worth writing to the party and trying to secure a correction that way. 

Unfortunately, a lot of the correction requests we send to MPs don’t result in corrections being made but this doesn’t deter us from sending them because every correction request shows that we care about honesty in politics. Across the UK, more and more people are asking their MP to be honest about mistakes and a cultural shift is needed. We want to encourage others to be part of that collective effort for positive change.

At Full Fact we’re working hard to change the system so that politicians can and do make corrections more frequently. If you haven’t already, then please consider signing our petition which calls on MPs to  admit publicly when they get things wrong, and to collectively agree new rules to make it easy to correct mistakes in the House of Commons and stop politicians from misleading Parliament.

If your MP does make a correction as you have requested, Full Fact would like to hear about it. You can let us know about it here.

Saying thank you!

Mistakes happen and too often they go uncorrected. We want to encourage individuals to correct their errors so please consider showing your gratitude to your MP for setting a good example if they make a correction by saying thank you.