An MP who brought together bereaved families, travel industry leaders and Foreign Office officials to accelerate action on raising awareness of methanol poisoning has told the Gazette that the greatest legacy that can be made in memory of victims such as solicitor Simone White is to save lives.
Last week Lib Dem MP Tom Morrison and Labour MP Jim Dickson convened a roundtable in parliament attended by bereaved families including the parents of Simone, Kirsty McKie and and Greta Otteson. Other representatives were present from Airlines UK, Airports UK, Heathrow Airport, ABTA, Manchester Airport Group, Safer Tourism Foundation and the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO).
Morrison, who represents the McKie family, told the Gazette that there was general consensus that despite an FCDO awareness campaign beginning this summer, the travel industry needs to step up. ‘We have got agreements for further meetings with Manchester and Heathrow to talk about how we can use the infrastructure in airports to promote the campaign more,’ he said.
Promoting the dangers of methanol poisoning in duty free was also discussed. ‘It’s far safer to buy spirits at duty free than in some of the countries we’re talking about, such as Bali and Laos,’ Morrison said.