#TaxedOut MP visits

Why do we organise MP visits?

MP visits are a crucial part of UKHospitality’s political engagement and they’re a benefit of your membership of UKHospitality.

We organise MP visits to showcase the vital role that hospitality plays locally and across the UK, and use these opportunities to support our campaign asks. We engage with new backbench MPs, Shadow and Government Ministers, and MPs on relevant select committees. MP visits are a positive way of building relationships, both as a business creating jobs for their constituencies and as a constituent.

The format of a visit usually includes a tour of your business and/or a roundtable discussion on the pressing issues affecting the sector. The visits provide the opportunity for the MP to speak directly to the people at the heart of hospitality businesses. This can range from a tour of the kitchen, pulling a pint or learning tricks of the trade like having a demonstration on how to carry plates.

MP visits also provide an opportunity showcase the breath of the sector by the variety of businesses attending.

MPs often understand hospitality being only pubs, hotels and restaurants, but, of course, the sector is also late night, visitor attractions, indoor leisure, food to go and contract catering. Our MP visits have had a wide variety of the sector represented highlighting how there is something for everyone in the hospitality sector.

What is in it for you?

Whilst we campaign on your behalf, as a UKHospitality member MPs want to hear directly from businesses in their constituency.

By attending a MP visit you can ‘skip the queue’ of attending an MP’s surgery or competing against all the emails in their inbox and engage with them directly.

This is also the opportunity to raise the profile of your business with your local MP with there often being an opportunity for local press and social media surrounding the visit. Photos of the visit can be shared on our social media channels and members can share our photos to increase awareness of the work they’re doing to lobby their local MP.