I am writing this column just hours after the First Reading of the Road Traffic (Unlicensed Drivers) Bill, that will be colloquially known as the Harry Parker Bill passed unanimously in Parliament. In November 2024, two years after Harry’s tragic death I, along with the whole town learned that the driver who caused Harry’s death would have all charges dropped. As soon as I heard the news I contacted Wiltshire Police and the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) asking for a thorough and detailed explanation to get to the root of what had gone so wrong. I left those meetings horrified that neither the CPS nor Wiltshire Police had acted improperly, instead the letter of the law didn’t make prosecution possible.
After speaking with Harry’s parents Adam and Kelly, we agreed that if the law let them down, it would be up to us to change the law and ensure no other family would have to go through what they had been through. I therefore approached the clerks in Parliament alongside my Parliamentary Assistant, who I’ll pay a special thanks to for her support in this process, the clerks agreed with me that bringing a Ten-Minute Rule Bill to Parliament would be the best way to simultaneously bring change whilst pressuring the government to adopt a change in the law. The change we’ve sought is to ensure that anyone who drives without obtaining a license should automatically be classed as driving dangerously and carelessly if they cause a fatality. No one should be able to get into a car without a license, kill someone and get away with it.
I look forward to bringing the Bill again to Parliament for its Second Reading on the 13th of June 2025 and hope to update you with its passage through Parliament closer to that time.
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