Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge Dr Julian Huppert, joined the British Heart Foundation to deliver a life-saving petition to get CPR taught in schools.

The BHF is calling on the UK Government and education authorities to help create a Nation of Lifesavers and make CPR a mandatory part of secondary education.

The campaign has received overwhelming public support with more than 80,000 people across the UK signing up to the petition.

Dr Huppert joined the nation’s heart charity in delivering the petition to the Department of Education today, in a bid to make Education Secretary MP Nicky Morgan take the campaign forward and ensure every young person leaves secondary school equipped with the skills they need to help save a life.

Phil Moore, BHF Area Manager, said: “Too many lives are lost needlessly every day simply because people don’t know how to perform CPR. By making sure every young person is taught this life-saving skill, we can help more people survive a cardiac arrest and go home to their families.

“We urge the governments and education authorities across the UK to act on the public’s clear call and help create a Nation of Lifesavers. By ensuring all school leavers are trained in CPR, we could help save 5,000 lives every year.”

More than 30,000 people have a cardiac arrest outside of hospital every year in the UK, but less than one in ten survive.

The BHF wants to dramatically improve survival rates by creating a Nation of Lifesavers and making sure every young person leaves secondary school knowing how to perform CPR.

Survival rates in the UK are much lower than other countries. In parts of Norway, where children learn CPR in schools, up to 25% people survive a cardiac arrest.

Dr Huppert MP said: “By making CPR a mandatory part of secondary education we would be teaching the next generation one of the most important lessons they will ever learn – how to save a life.

“In these emergency situations every second counts. We need everyone to have the confidence and the skills to step in and give someone the best possible chance of survival.”