Delivering a petition to Number 10, calling for an independent expert Maternity Commissioner, Theo Clarke (DH 2003) and Louise Thompson (DH 2008) marked an important step forward in efforts to improve maternity care across the UK.

Theo has been a prominent spokesperson for women since her election in 2019 as MP for Stafford. During her time as MP, and after the traumatic birth of her daughter, she shared her experience in an emotional debate in the House of Commons in October 2023. Amazed by the public response, she set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Birth Trauma and subsequently chaired the first ever national inquiry into birth trauma. The inquiry heard harrowing evidence from over 1,300 women, exposing the shocking underinvestment in women’s health in the UK. In November 2024, she launched the Global Birth Trauma Alliance, and thanks to her campaigning there is now a cross-party commitment to improve maternity care. In Theo’s powerful memoir, Breaking the Taboo, she describes the traumatic birth of her daughter and shares the experiences of other parents. With raw emotion, she highlights the taboo surrounding birth trauma that affects 30,000 women in the UK annually. 

In 2024, Louise published her first book, Lucky: Learning to Live Again, which details her journey through a series of health complications and life-threatening situations following the traumatic birth of her first child, explaining how she found the strength to stay alive and reframe her experience to find joy in life. Through sharing her story so openly on social media and in Lucky, she has platformed women’s issues, including birth trauma, PTSD and Post-Natal Depression. Her willingness to tell this story brings hope and empowerment to women going through similar experiences, bringing attention to the gravity of birth complications which are not always treated with adequate care.

More than 167,000 people signed the petition calling for the creation of the new role, demonstrating widespread public support for improved outcomes for women and families. Theo and Louise delivered the petition to 10 Downing Street alongside a box of letters from families across the country, who shared their experiences of birth trauma and poor maternity care.

The powerful testimonies highlighted the urgent need for change and reinforced the importance of ensuring that the voices of women and families remain at the heart of improvements to maternity services.

Theo said: "This is a significant milestone and a testament to the power of collective action and lived experience. But this is only the beginning. The focus must now be on ensuring this role delivers meaningful change, drives greater accountability, and keeps the voices of women and families at the centre of improving maternity care."

Congratulations to Theo Clarke and Louise Thompson on their tireless campaigning and this significant achievement. The collective voices of all those women and families who have shared their experiences after being let down by poor maternity care have driven real progress. We look forward to seeing continued action to deliver safer, compassionate maternity care for all.