Louise Thompson promises she will ‘not go away’ as she continues the fight for a maternity commissioner and attends the House of Lords

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Louise Thompson has vowed to keep campaigning for a dedicated maternity commissioner and doesn’t plan to stop her efforts anytime soon.

The 35-year-old, who previously appeared on Made In Chelsea, developed PTSD following a challenging childbirth experience with her son, Leo, in 2021.

After experiencing a difficult birth herself, Louise has teamed up with former MP Theo Clarke to push for a dedicated maternity commissioner. Their work follows a parliamentary investigation they led, which revealed that maternity care across the UK is often dangerously inadequate.

Louise shared news with her fans on Thursday: after her petition gained over 147,000 signatures, she was invited to observe a question-and-answer session in the House of Lords.

She wrote a detailed message on Instagram explaining that they’re continuing their work to support new mothers. They’re driven to prevent any more heartbreaking losses, particularly those that could have been avoided.

She firmly stated she wouldn’t give up, explaining she was determined to explore every possibility. She jokingly compared herself to taxes and death – inevitable and unavoidable – emphasizing that she wasn’t going anywhere.

As long as I continue to experience flashbacks, unwanted thoughts, and the lingering effects of past trauma, I’ll have enough anxiety and frustration to stay motivated in my work helping others.

Seeing my son each morning makes me think about how different things could be – both for him and for me – if circumstances had been different. That’s why this campaign means so much to me. Every single life is precious.

She recently updated her supporters on the progress of her petition. After gathering 147,000 signatures, she received a response from Wes Streeting, the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care.

Louise arranged a meeting with Wes a month ago, but he hasn’t responded. She also sent him a personal letter and is hoping to hear from him soon.

She described visiting the House of Lords, explaining it’s different from the House of Commons – the Lords is where lifelong peers meet. She sat in the main room and listened as members answered questions.

Baroness Gohir was a strong advocate for our petition, consistently requesting it be addressed. We were thrilled when it was finally chosen, and I was happy to deliver the question in person.

I was really happy to have a few colleagues offering support, but I was let down by the general reaction, which felt quite expected. It seems like everyone is relying solely on the Baroness Amos investigation to solve things.

A great benefit of working here is the opportunity to meet helpful individuals. I’ve connected with several supportive Members of Parliament and gotten their contact information.

People have different ideas about what’s stopping us from getting a Maternity Commissioner. Some believe it’s a funding issue, while others think it’s about who would be responsible or the amount of work involved.

I’d like to thank Baroness Gohir for the invitation and for sharing her knowledge with me. I’m also very grateful to Theo Clarke for her dedication and support throughout this campaign.

She continued, wanting to support the women who had shared their stories with her. She expressed hope that a new task force would be formed, and she’d like to be a part of it to voice the experiences of the many women who contact her every day.

We need a maternity commissioner who isn’t affiliated with any political party. The period following the 2016-2019 Brexit vote saw significant turmoil in UK government, with frequent changes in leadership, politicians leaving their parties, and many resignations. An independent commissioner would provide stability during these times.

This creates confusion and causes us to shift focus. It’s likely the 750 recommendations from past investigations into maternity care will be ignored, just as they have been in the past.

Childbirth impacts the well-being of both the parent and the child, and that’s something that should be beyond political debate. Maternity care needs to be reliable and consistently available – it shouldn’t be subject to change.

She asked her followers to help by writing to their Members of Parliament to bring the issue to their attention.

With over 157,000 signatures on the petition, we’re likely getting closer to a public debate in Parliament, and I really need your support to make it happen.

Please reach out to your local Members of Parliament and let them know how significantly this issue is affecting your community. If enough MPs understand the scale of the problem, we hope they’ll be more likely to support our position.

Everyone benefits from having a maternity commissioner – there are no downsides, only potential improvements.

Theo and I have created a letter you can easily download and use. We’ve also included a tool to help you find contact information for your local Member of Parliament. You can find everything – the letter template and the MP search tool – on my website: www.louise-thompson.co.uk/write-to-your-mp/

Following a difficult childbirth, Louise sustained several injuries, including Asherman’s Syndrome – a condition where scar tissue forms inside the uterus – and worsening bowel issues. She also required emergency surgery after a severe postpartum hemorrhage, and as a result, she is unable to have any more children.

After hearing from other mothers with similar struggles, she previously urged her followers to support a nationwide plan to improve maternity care.

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2026-03-13 04:52