Zach goes to Parliament
There are very few campaigners who can unite political parties around one cause: but Zach Eagling has done just that.
On a day of political firsts, Zach Eagling, the 11 year old inspiration behind #ZachsLaw, visited Parliament to thank MPs for their ongoing support.
On Tuesday 25th, as less than a mile away Rishi Sunak gave his first speech as Prime Minister, Zach and his mum Claire met with a cross-party collection of Zach's Law supporting MPs.
Despite the political changes taking place that day, an incredible 11 MPs from four different parties met with Zach and Claire.
Whether it was John Nicolson of the SNP, Suzanne Webb from the Conservatives or Alex Cunningham from Labour, the message from MPs was clear: it is Zach who deserves all the credit for the campaign's success. We were thrilled that so many of the MPs mentioned Zach on social media. If you click on their names, you can read more about their thoughts on Zach and Zach's Law.
A day after the Parliamentary meet and greet, Zach's Law was officially published for the first time.
Zach's Law will criminalise epilepsy trolling: the sending of an online flashing image to a person with epilepsy with the intent of triggering a seizure. It is currently in the form of an amendment to the Online Safety Bill and is set to be debated and voted on in the House of Commons within the next month. Following this, the Online Safety Bill will be scrutinised in the House of Lords before hopefully reaching the statute book by the summer.
Zach and his mum were hosted by their local MP, Kim Leadbeater, who very kindly gave them a tour of Parliament. And they later appeared on ITV Calendar which covers Yorkshire, Zach and Claire's home county. All this comes just a few weeks after Zach's victory in the Outstanding Achievement category at the Yorkshire Children of Courage Awards.
MPs who met with Zach included Dean Russell - a long time supporter of Zach's Law - who described Zach as a "true inspiration", Caroline Ansell who called Zach a "super star" and Paul Maynard who himself has epilepsy and tabled parliamentary amendments as part of the Zach's Law campaign.
Zach was also pleased to meet with Damian Collins, the Government minister who had publicly backed Zach's Law. Rounding off the magnificent eleven were Sarah Green, whose constituency includes the Epilepsy Society's HQ, David Johnston and Tonia Antoniazzi.
There are very few campaigners that can unite political parties around one cause: but Zach has done just that. As things stand, Zach's Law should be law by next summer. But don't worry, Zach and the Epilepsy Society won't stop campaigning until the law has official Royal Assent from the King. Go, Zach!