Among the mechanisms available for backbench MPs to make their voices heard are Early Day Motions. In this post, I’ll take a look at what they are, and how they are sometimes used (and misused) as a policy influencing tool.
What are Early Day Motions?
Early Day Motions (or EDMs) are a way for backbench MPs to propose an issue for debate in the House of Commons. Their ‘Early Day’ title means that there is no day yet set aside for debate, and the request is that the motion gets debated on an ‘early day’. In reality, very few EDMs actually ever get debated in the Commons chamber.
They have a strange format
Early Day Motions have a very peculiar format. They need a short descriptive title, followed by a single sentence of no more than 250 words, which must begin with the phrase ‘That this House…”. The sentence will then normally continue with a statement of support, regret, disappointment, welcome etc. What this means in reality is that those tasked with crafting text for an EDM will end up making prolific use of semi-colons as a way of packing in as much content as possible! Having drafted several proposed EDMs over the years, I know that putting them together is a real art!
EDMs as party political or cross-party tools
Some EDMs are used to make party political points – either in support of government policy or position, or opposed to it. These motions will be drafted in such a way that only MPs from a particular party or persuasion are likely to support it. They may start with a statement of either support or regret for action that the government has or has not taken, for example. These EDMs are, in my view, the very least useful to engage with as a tool for influence as their primary purpose is political point-scoring.
Other EDMs will often be so niche or local that they will only ever get the support of one or two MPs. They may be celebrating a local development, for example. This is one of the reasons that the EDM system is often criticised.
In contrast, some EDMs will be written in such a way to maximise the likelihood of cross-party support. From an influencing perspective, these are the most useful, as they can demonstrate a sense of cross-party consensus on a particular topic which is harder to dismiss than a motion which is overtly political in nature. These are also the EDMs that are most likely to get the highest number of signatories.
It’s worth noting that ministers, whips, and parliamentary private secretaries do not normally sign EDMs, and the Speaker and Deputy Speakers will never sign EDMs as they need to maintain their impartiality.
How much do they cost?
While there is no direct charge for EDMs, there is a cost to the taxpayer, and the system costs Parliament a substantial sum of money. This is another reason that the EDM system is frequently criticised. In answer to a Freedom of Information request in September 2016, the Parliamentary authorities clarified that a total of £400,000 had been spent on the system in the 16 months since the May 2015 election. When you stop to think that there are, in an average year, over 1,200 EDMs that are tabled, it’s easy to see how those costs quickly mount up. On my very back of an envelope calculation, it puts the average cost of each EDM at around £250.
Are they effective?
The answer to this question depends largely on what you want to achieve. If your goal is to raise awareness of an issue, or to be able to demonstrate (particularly cross-party) support, then they can be a useful tool. I suspect that this is why they are commonly used to mark awareness weeks and other similar events. And as a building block for an emerging public affairs strategy, they can be a useful way of working out which backbench MPs might be open to a further conversation about the issue that is important to you.
If, however, your goal is policy influence and change, then I don’t think that Early Day Motions are particularly useful. Very few get debated, and most get disregarded. There are other more effective tactics that you can deploy.
On balance, I am deeply sceptical about the value of Early Day Motions as a route to policy influence. While I can understand their appeal, as a tool that it is relatively easy to use and to be able to ‘demonstrate’ MP support for an issue, their overall impact is marginal at best.
They have received quite a lot of criticism over the years, not just on the basis of their cost to the taxpayer. They have famously been described as ‘parliamentary graffiti’.
They can often be seen as a vehicle for external organisations and interest groups to be seen to be ‘doing something’. For campaign groups, it’s tempting low-hanging fruit to go for an easy way to ‘quantify’ the support of parliamentarians to your cause.
Using an EDM as an influencing tool
If you think that an EDM could be a useful way of raising an issue of importance to you and your organisation, the first step will be to find a supportive MP who would be prepared to table the motion. If you have a good existing relationship with either a local MP or an MP who has supported your cause (such as through your engagement with an All-Party Parliamentary Group), this is normally a good place to start. They will often ask you to help draft the motion and to work with their parliamentary staff to finalise the wording.
If you’re looking for good cross-party support, it’s a good idea at this point to also line up MPs from other parties to be co-signatories to the motion. The first six signatories will be the sponsors of the motion, so a cross-party spread of those initial signatures will be more likely to encourage other MPs to sign up too.
Once the motion has been tabled by the MPs office, it remains open for signatures for the remainder of the parliamentary session. As you build relationships with MPs from across the Commons, asking them to sign the EDM can be an easy and straightforward ask to get them involved.
Are they worth the effort?
While I remain sceptical about the value of EDMs, they do have a role to play. They can be a simple way to generate some cross-party support for an issue, and can be a good way for an organisation to build relationships with MPs. As a tool for influencing policy however, they are not effective. Very few EDMs are ever debated on the floor of the House, and even fewer have any meaningful effect on the policy agenda.
What is your experience of Early Day Motions? Share your thoughts in the comments below.
If your organisation is looking to do more policy influencing work, and would like some pro bono advice, I’d be happy to have a chat. Just drop me a line.
thepolicycoach.co.uk 