Keir Starmer Meets Paula Hudgell and Her Adopted Son Tony Amid Plans for New Child Protection Measures

A little boy in a smart suit walked into 10 Downing Street and left having moved a Prime Minister to say the entire country was proud of him. Scroll down to see the photos from their remarkable meeting.

11-year-old Tony Hudgell, suited up in a black blazer and pink striped tie, met Prime Minister Keir Starmer at Downing Street alongside his adoptive mother, Paula Hudgell, to discuss plans for the landmark Child Cruelty Register in the UK.

Tony arrived looking every bit the young statesman, and the warmth between him and Starmer was immediate. When someone in the room revealed Tony was a Chelsea fan, Starmer laughed and quipped:

"Chelsea fan? We were getting on so well."

But the mood quickly turned sincere. Starmer told Tony, "It's such a privilege for me to be able to meet you and have you here. What you've done is have the courage to turn something really awful in your life into something which is going to be a massive benefit to lots of other children. That's an amazing thing to do. I think the whole country is really proud."

The Prime Minister went further, acknowledging the tangible legislative impact of Tony's campaigning. "I just find this really humbling, because this bill that you have changed, putting an amendment in to protect other children is going to become law. It is a big deal," he continued.

Starmer then told Tony there were millions of people following his story who wanted to say thank you — and expressed that gratitude on their behalf. And indeed, the public reaction online was overwhelming.

"Wow, he has had a brutal start — he could have just carried on from there but no, he made it his mission to make sure things are in place to protect other children. How heroic, no words, bless him," wrote one commenter.

"Absolute legend — this boy has fought against all odds and is still going strong, puts the rest of us to shame," said another. A third reflected, "This is incredible, what an amazing young man. But the fact a child has had to campaign to get this through to protect other children is unreal. What a sad, horrible world we live in at times."

Others were equally moved. "Amazing young man. There is nothing more precious than your children, you should do everything to keep them safe and protect them. Some people don't deserve to be parents," one person declared.

Another shared, "This broke my heart. What a brave and beautiful young man. I was so shocked at his story — unimaginable horror and wicked, wicked parents. He is amazing."

"What can I say that other people have said already — this child is an angel in disguise. What he has been through makes me feel sick to the heart. May God bless you always," someone else added.

Tony's visit coincides with a landmark moment for child protection in the UK. Through amendments to the Crime and Policing Bill — directly inspired by the advocacy of Paula and Tony — the government has introduced a Child Cruelty Register.

Those convicted of neglect, abandonment, or FGM will now be monitored in a similar way to sex offenders, and will be required to notify police if they change their name, move house, travel abroad, or live with children again.

The meeting also comes just months after Tony's birth mother, Jody Simpson, was released from prison in June 2025 following a Parole Board decision. His birth father, Anthony Smith, remains incarcerated.

Both were jailed for 10 years in 2018 after being found guilty at Maidstone Crown Court of causing near-fatal injuries to Tony when he was just 41 days old. The attack left him in agony for 10 days without medical treatment, resulting in organ failure, toxic shock, sepsis — and the amputation of both his legs.

Paula and her husband Mark became Tony's foster parents during his recovery, and from the moment they saw him, they knew they could never let him go. "We fell in love," Paula has said.

They went on to adopt him, and together, the family has campaigned tirelessly for child protection reform — successfully lobbying for Tony's Law, which increased sentences for child abuse and introduced a maximum life term for those who cause or allow the death of a child in their care.

Now, that same determination has helped bring a Child Cruelty Register into law. But their greatest victory comes at a heartbreaking time.

In October 2025, Paula revealed to the Mirror that she had been diagnosed with stage 4 terminal cancer, after GPs missed it 14 times over four years. The cancer has spread to her lungs and peritoneal. Through it all, she has chosen to shield Tony from the full truth. "He doesn't know I’m not going to survive this and nor do I want him to," she confessed.

During a school run, Tony turned up the radio for a love song he liked and told her he wanted it played at his wedding one day — not knowing that his words moved her to tears. "I had my tears from him but it hurts so much that I won't see him grow up or get married. I'm just devastated for him and all of my children. It shouldn't have been like this."

And yet even now, Paula fights on — not just for Tony, but for every child who cannot fight for themselves.

Scroll down for photos capturing Tony's meeting with Prime Minister Starmer and glimpses into his extraordinary life.

A determined five-year-old Tony Hudgell, wearing an Evelina London Children's Hospital t-shirt and supported by yellow forearm crutches, takes his final steps of his fundraising walk in West Malling, Kent, on 30 June 2020. Tony walked 10 kilometres throughout June, raising over £1 million for the hospital that had cared for him since he was four months old.

A smartly dressed Tony meets Prince William and Princess Catherine during the Together At Christmas community carol service at Westminster Abbey, London, on 8 December 2021. Tony, accompanied by his mother Paula in a red coat, had by then raised more than £1.5 million for Evelina London Children's Hospital.

Prime Minister Keir Starmer, dressed in a dark suit and navy dotted tie, listens attentively with a warm, slightly emotional expression during his meeting with Tony and his mother Paula at 10 Downing Street on 17 March 2026. An ornate white fireplace is visible behind him.

Starmer gestures as he speaks directly to Tony, who sits attentively beside him on a cream sofa, his prosthetic legs and red trainers visible beneath his smart black suit. Paula, in a navy lace dress, looks on from an armchair to the left, her hands clasped in her lap.

Tony and Prime Minister Starmer share a warm fist bump on the sofa, both leaning in towards each other with broad smiles. The moment captured a rare lightness during what was otherwise a deeply meaningful visit.

Tony Hudgell's birth parents, Anthony Smith and Jody Simpson, who were both jailed for 10 years in 2018 after being found guilty of causing near-fatal injuries to Tony when he was just 41 days old. | Source: XWayne57072607