Jack Hurley was 19 years old and had no known heart issues when he collapsed on the football pitch in Husbands Bosworth, in Leicestershire, while playing a match in June last year. Teammates acted quickly and used a nearby defibrillator to restart his heart before paramedics arrived – which Mr Hurley says saved his life because the next available defibrillator was 3 miles away. “Had that defibrillator not been in the pavilion, I would not be here today”, Mr Hurley said.
Now aged 20, the North Kilworth FC player attended No 10 on Wednesday to hand in a letter signed by MPs and charities asking the Government to get VAT on defibrillators scrapped. It was part of the Stop the Heart Restart Tax campaign which aims to make defibrillators more affordable and accessible all over the UK. Speaking at Downing Street after handing in the petition alongside his father Colin, Mr Hurley said: “A defibrillator is not a luxury item – so why would you want VAT on something that you are not going to use unless you have to? “It’s life-saving equipment.
“We argue that it’s like car insurance: you’re paying, hopefully not to use it, but in the event you do need to use it, it’s there.” The petition was signed by 46 MPs, including the co-leader of the Green Party Adrian Ramsey and the health spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats Jess Brown-Fuller, as well as charities like the British Heart Foundation and the British Red Cross. “Removing VAT means we can have a lot more de.
