I wanted to give everyone an update following what has been an incredibly emotional few days for our family.
After almost three months of protest, Mum and Craig have now brought their hunger strikes to an end. More than anything, there is an enormous sense of relief that they have chosen to eat again. We have spent so long worrying about what each passing day was doing to them physically, and knowing that they have now made the decision to stop and begin recovering means more than I can really put into words.
That relief does come with a lot of concern about what happens next. The reports we received about their health during the hunger strikes were deeply worrying, and after putting their bodies through so much for such a prolonged period, we need to know they are being properly medically assessed and supported as they begin to recover. Eating again is the first step, but rebuilding their strength safely is going to take time.
We are also desperately hoping that our calls with them will now be reinstated. Being unable to speak properly as a family throughout so much of this has been incredibly difficult. I want to hear Mum’s voice. We want to hear from both of them directly, understand how they are feeling and be able to support them through what comes next rather than relying on information being passed back to us.
Our work here also continues. We are still working towards securing a meeting with Ed Miliband and will continue pushing for that to happen. We have had some constructive engagement with the new team in Government, which we appreciate, but ultimately Mum and Craig are still detained and our objective has not changed: we want them home.
For now, though, I think it is important to recognise this moment for what it is. After months of fear surrounding the hunger strikes, Mum and Craig have chosen to eat. They now need proper medical attention, time to recover and the opportunity to rebuild their strength.
Thank you to everyone who has stayed alongside our family throughout this. The messages, donations, petition signatures, letters to MPs and simple acts of support have carried us through some incredibly difficult moments. There is still a long way to go, but today we can at least allow ourselves to feel some relief.
They are eating again. Now we need them healthy, we need to hear their voices, and ultimately, we need them home.