Churches urged to tell MPs it's time to Get Fair

While the media has focussed on the scandal on MP's expenses, more and more ordinary people in the UK are suffering from real poverty. The gap between rich and poor in the UK is now greater than at any time in the past 40 years. More than a million people will lose their jobs and up to 75,000 families will lose their homes this year as a result of the economic crisis.

The Get Fair campaign is urging churches to tell their local Member of Parliament that this is wrong. On 26-27 June, groups of people across the UK will lobby their MPs, either at their constituency surgeries or at special public meetings. They will ask MPs to ensure that all the major political parties make tackling UK poverty a central objective of their manifestos for the next General Election. The campaign is urging MPs to sign up to an Early Day Motion in Parliament, and to make a public commitment by signing the Get Fair Poverty Pledge.

Niall Cooper, National Coordinator of Church Action on Poverty and plays a lead role in the Get Fair coalition, said: "Churches played a key role in the MakePovertyHistory campaign, making us believe that international poverty could be eradicated. Now we need local churches everywhere to take action again, and bring that hope back home.

"We must not allow the scandal over MPs' expenses to distract us from tackling the pressing issues of poverty and inequality that afflict our society - made more urgent by the current recession. It is imperative that we encourage our politicians to start focusing on the real issues affecting the lives of millions of people in the UK as well as
globally."

At least 80 MPs are already being targeted by the Get Fair lobby, and 47 MPs have already signed Early Day Motion 1529. There are various ways in which you or your church could get involved:

* Find out whether a lobby is already being planned in your constituency, and join in.
* If there is no lobby planned, use the Get Fair information pack to organise your own lobby! Plenty of help and support is available.
* If you can't lobby your MP in person, email or write to your MP and ask them to sign the Get Fair Pledge.

See: www.getfair.org.uk/lobby, call 0161 236 9321 or email: info@getfair.org.uk to find out more!