“As a father himself, Keir Starmer understands the heartbreak behind every tragedy and has vowed his government will do ‘whatever we can’ to help efforts to save lives”
The Mirror launched the Save Lives for Sam campaign because too many families have suffered the unimaginable loss of a loved one in the water.
Today, our fight receives the backing of the Prime Minister. Keir Starmer is right to say the recent drownings of children and young people during the heatwave are “deeply concerning”.
As a father himself, he understands the heartbreak behind every tragedy and has vowed his government will do “whatever we can” to help efforts to save lives. His support matters because water safety should never be a political problem. It is a public safety issue.
Every child lost is one too many. Every family devastated is a reminder that more must be done to educate people about the hidden dangers of open water.
We welcome the Prime Minister’s backing. Now, let us turn his words into action before another family pays the ultimate price.
Learn lessons
The whole-life tariff handed to teacher Jamie Varley over the murder of his adopted son means he will never again walk free. It is a punishment fully deserved for crimes almost beyond comprehension.
But sentencing alone cannot answer the questions that now hang over 13-month-old Preston Davey’s tragic death.
This little boy was taken to hospital three times and seen by multiple professionals in the weeks before he was killed. Somewhere along the way, opportunities appear to have been missed to save him.
The safeguarding review must leave no stone unturned. If warning signs were overlooked, the public deserves to know why.
Nothing can bring Preston back. But learning the lessons from this heartbreaking case could help prevent another child from suffering the same fate.
Tweet relief
In a world full of notifications, disagreement and bad news, the BBC has discovered a simple recipe for happiness: birds.
Radio 3 listeners are waking up to the dawn chorus, while young people are flocking to birdwatching in record numbers.
Turns out the original tweets were the best ones after all.
