MPS were given a hands-on first aid lesson as public support grows for children to be taught lifesaving skills in schools.

A parliamentary reception gave MPs, including Harrow East MP Bob Blackman, the opportunity to learn cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and how to treat choking, burns and bleeding.

The event was part of the Every Child a Lifesaver campaign – an initiative launched by St John Ambulance, the British Heart Foundation, and the British Red Cross to gain backing for the Emergency First Aid Education Bill.

The Bill will have its second reading in Parliament on November 20 and hundreds of members of the public across London have been contacting their MPs asking them to support the Bill and attend the vote.

Mr Blackman said: “I joined the Every Child a Lifesaver campaign shortly after its launch last year as I fully support efforts to increase awareness of the dangers of cardiac arrest and to prepare as many people as possible to provide life-saving CPR.

“We should be making a commitment, as a nation, to ensuring vital training has been made available to young people before they leave school.”

Members of the public now have less than two weeks to call on their MP to vote in support of the Bill by going to everychildalifesaver.org/action