Our meeting with Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP

With huge thanks to Susanna Reid and Ed Balls (GMB) today we were given the opportunity to go to The Home Office to meet with Crime and Policing Government Minister, Dame Diana Johnson DBE MP.

Myself, Jem and Tracey, were firstly, so grateful to be able to talk to Minister Johnson and Metropolitan Police Officer, Tom, about Jamie and the failings he and his friends faced on that awful night, but we then had the time with her, to explain all about OurJays campaign, for all community facing police vehicles to carry defibrillators.

It couldn’t have gone any better…Dame Johnson explained that, there are 43 police forces across the UK, she cannot tell these forces what they have to do, but she can make her recommendations very clear. Dame Johnson 100% backed our campaign and apologised for how long it has taken us to be able to get to this point. Within 15 minutes of leaving the Home Office, we had already received an email to say the minister has started work on making contact with the individual forces.

THIS IS EXACTLY WHAT WE HAVE SPENT THE LAST 3 YEARS TRYING TO ACHIEVE!

The people we met today, could not give us any reasons why defibs cannot be in police vehicles, they could not give us any reasons why we would have to use specific defibs and not OurJay portable defibs and they could not give us any reasons why this vital life saving initiative couldn’t be moved forward very quickly!

Police officers should all be given the tools they need to enable them to help in these situations…they should not have to go to health emergencies, in place of delayed ambulances, without the equipment they need to save lives.

We fight on…we feel heard, we feel proud and above all, we take Jamies voice wherever we need to go! Our precious boy will change this cruel world and we will never stop taking his life saving legacy as far and wide as we possibly can. He just deserves to be here!

ILYM xxx