Build support for The Big Climate Plan

We need to make sure that Prime Minister Keir Starmer knows that people from all walks of life want to see strong climate action for a fairer future. Over winter we’re going to collect petition signatures from our community to demonstrate public support for a bold and fair climate plan.

Ready to hand in your petition? Read the instructions on how to prepare for your MP meeting.

Our petitions are directed at the Prime Minister, who’s responsible for the climate plan being produced in 2025. In March 2025, we’ll meet with our MP(s) to hand in the petition and ask them to send it to the Prime Minister on our behalf. This approach helps to build relationships with our MPs and strengthens their support for the campaign. Hearing from hundreds of MPs will help build pressure on the Prime Minister to act.

Get out into your community

We need as many groups as possible to get out into local communities and collect hundreds of petition signatures. We’ve created some eye-catching petition postcards to help get you started.

Order your petition postcards today

Alongside the petition, we’ll get communities interested by using a simple and fun activity to gather messages of support.

We’ve created a template wall display with different shaped cards, each representing a solution we’re advocating for in the climate plan, such as better public transport, home insulation and renewable energy. Ask members of the public to choose a card and write a message on the back about how people in your area will benefit from a strong and fair climate plan. The different shaped cards may help give ideas about what to write about, for example the difference good bus routes would make or how green jobs would benefit the local economy.

Stick messages onto the wall display, using the Glu Dots provided, so they're visible, allowing people to see and be inspired by each other’s ideas.

This simple activity will help you start a conversation with community members and share more about our campaign. From there you can ask them to sign your petition and join your mailing list. When we present our petitions, these messages will strengthen our impact with MPs alongside the petition.

Order your Big Climate Plan message board today.

We’ve created a short script to help you explain the benefits of a strong climate plan. You can also use our Near You tool to explore local data that highlights the top climate issues in your area. 

Growing your petition numbers

Petitions are a useful tool to show public support for an issue. They also allow you to grow your mailing list – and ultimately grow your group. In order to collect as many petition signatures as possible you can:

• Set up a stall in your town centre or bring your petition postcards to events such as coffee mornings, winter fairs and other events.  
• Ask partner organisations to share your online petition or gather petition postcards on your behalf.  
• Share your online petition on social media.
• Share the petition with your mailing list (and ask readers to share the petition on too).
• Use our community activity (outlined above) to start the conversation with the next step being to sign the petition.  
• Create a QR code so that people can scan to sign the petition.

Our campaign petition postcards include a tick box to indicate if someone is happy to be contacted by your group. Make sure to take a note of anyone who ticks this box and add them to your mailing list. As more people sign your petition and join your mailing list, it’ll be important to keep them interested and to update your mailing list at regular intervals. Take a look at this guide on keeping your mailing list interested. 

Take a look at this guide for more detailed suggestions on gathering petition signatures.

Meeting with your MP to hand in your petition

In March 2025 we’ll arrange meetings with MPs to hand-in our petitions. Whether it’s your first time meeting with your MP or a follow-up from a previous meeting, this is a key opportunity to strengthen their support for our campaign. Prepare for the meeting by reading our guide on speaking to your MP about the Big Climate Plan.

During the meeting share messages from the community you’ve collected and hand in the petition signatures. Ask your MP to send them on to the Prime Minister on your behalf with a letter of support urging commitment to a bold and fair climate plan.

Prepare your petition to hand-in

Step 1: collate petition postcards 

Gather together all the petition postcards you’ve collected. If you’ve only collected signatures in this way, and haven’t been using Action Network, add the details straight to this template. You’re ready to hand it in.

If you’ve also used Action Network, add these signatures to the digital petition. A top tip is to use the kiosk mode to speed things up. Don’t forget to sign people up to your email list if they’d agreed to join.

Step 2: prepare Action Network

Once you’ve added postcard signatures to the Action Network petition, download a PDF version of all the signatures by following the steps in this video.

Step 3: gather messages from your community

If you’ve gathered messages from your community using the community message board, or through your online petition, prepare these so they are ready to share with your MP. Even a small number of messages from constituents can have a power impact and give your MP a mandate to take action.

Bring your community message board along to the meeting or simply write out message you’ve collected to bring along and read out.

Ask your MP to take action

By handing in your petition, you are showing the strength and breath of support for a bold and ambitious climate plan. Ask your MP to take action by sending your petition to the Prime Minister with a letter of support alongside it.

In March, Friends of the Earth will release new research focusing on fairness. If you’re meeting your MP to hand in your petition, take along this research to add further strength to your discussion. Read more about the fairness research in this guide.