What we do in Parliament

 

Our vision

Carers UK’s vision is to create a society that requires carers to be treated equally in all aspects of their lives. Sadly, that isn’t currently the case. 

We are determined to deliver our vision, where carers are recognised, valued and supported. 

That’s why we work hard to actively promote the interests of carers, and their voices, to Government and politicians from across Parliament. 

 

All Party Parliamentary Group on Carers 

Carers UK provides the secretariat for the All-Party Parliamentary Group (APPG) on Carers, which reformed in 2022, following a hiatus during the COVID-19 pandemic.  

The APPG is Chaired by Caroline Dinenage MP, and Co-Chaired by Baroness Jill Pitkeathley. The group’s aim is to ensure that the millions of people in the UK, who provide unpaid care for ill, older or disabled loved ones, get the recognition and support they need.  

The Group brings together Parliamentarians from across the political spectrum, alongside policy and practice experts, to raise awareness, to share knowledge, and improve understanding of the needs of unpaid carers in parliament. 

The APPG works on a cross-party basis and provides a forum for Parliamentarians and expert stakeholders to discuss what can be done across the NHS, social care, employment policy, and the social security system to improve the lives of carers. 

Officers (elected February 2022) 

• Chair: Caroline Dinenage MP 
• Co-Chair: Baroness Jill Pitkeathley OBE 
• Officers: Caroline Ansell MP, David Mundell MP, Sarah Atherton MP, Alex Cunningham MP, Barbara Keeley MP, Ed Davey MP, Yasmin Qureshi MP, Caroline Lucas MP, Gavin Newlands MP, Jim Shannon MP, Margaret Greenwood MP, Lord Lancaster of Kimbolton, Baroness Lister of Burtersett, Baroness Verma of Leicester, Baroness Tyler of Enfield 
• Secretariat: Carers UK 

You can find these details on the official register of APPG's – please see here. 

Parliamentary briefings 

If you are a politician who wants to help raise the profile of issues affecting unpaid carers, we can support you with detailed and expert policy briefings on upcoming debates. We can also work with you to proactively raise these issues. Please find our previous briefings here. 

General Election 2019: our manifesto for carers 

The General Election took place on 12 December 2019, and ahead of polling day, Carers UK called on all political parties, and all Parliamentary Candidates, to commit to improving the lives of the UK’s 6.5 million unpaid carers over the next five years. We published our ‘manifesto for carers’ setting out the top priorities unpaid carers want to see delivered by the next Government. You can read our ‘manifesto for carers 2019’ in full, here. 

We wanted the most carer friendly parliament, so we asked you to share our manifesto with parliamentary candidates and tell them that caring matters to voters. The response we received from members and supporters was fantastic. Over 1,300 people completed the action, meaning we were able to contact 2,250 candidates. Thank you to everyone who took part. 

 

Contact us 

Please contact us if you would like to find out more about our public affairs work, or how we can support you to better represent the needs of unpaid carers in your constituency.