Keir Starmer to examine proposals from Liverpool dad who lose his son after fall from city centre car park
18:00, 06 Jul 2025Updated 18:25, 06 Jul 2025
Johnny Santer and his son Gabriel, who died after falling from a multi-storey car park in Liverpool
The Prime Minister has promised to look at a potential change in the law in response to a campaign created following the tragic death of a Liverpool teenager who fell to his death from a city centre multi-storey car park. Gabriel Santer died at the age of 15 in October 2020 after falling from the top of the Q Park in Hanover Street.
Since his son’s devastating death, Gabriel’s dad Johnny Santer has been campaigning for a change in the law around the height of safety barriers on the top floors of multi-story car parks. He feels his son’s death and many others could have been prevented if these barriers were higher.
Current laws state that the pedestrian edge restraints at multi-story car parks must reach a height of just 1.1m. Johnny has repeatedly told car park operators that while they may be operating within the law, their failure to raise the height of these barriers may be contributing to more people falling to their deaths.
The law he is campaigning for is known as Gabe’s Law, named after his son, who was known to many as Gabe. The law would see the minimum legal height of guarding at multi-story car parks increase from 1.1m to 2.7m.
The proposed Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill – to give its full title – was first put forward in Parliament by Johnny’s local MP Maria Eagle but with a change of government, the bill’s journey was halted and the campaign lost some momentum.
However, things changed this week when Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer was asked about the proposed new law at Prime Minister’s Questions by Bootle Labour MP Peter Dowd, who is now planning to champion the legislation.
Labour MP for Bootle, Peter Dowd told the House of Commons: “Gabe Santer, a 15-year-old, fell to his death from a multi-storey car park in Liverpool in 2020. He’s one of the many dying in such tragic circumstances, including in my constituency.
“My Multi-Storey Car Parks (Safety) Bill seeks to prevent such deaths. Will the Government look carefully at its content as part of a national suicide prevention strategy?”
Johnny Santer and his son Gabriel, who died after falling from a multi-storey car park in Liverpool
Responding, the Prime Minister replied: “The answer is yes, we will look at the content of it, and I’m grateful to him for raising it.”He added: “Across the House, we have all got tragic experience of suicide, and our thoughts are with Gabe’s family and with his friends.
The PM said: “We will conduct a call for evidence on part K of the building regulations about minimum guarding heights, so that necessary protections are in place to prevent future tragedies. We will also look at the contents of the Bill.”
Following the significant response in the Commons, Mr Dowd said: “This is an issue which needs urgent action and I welcome the Prime Minister’s commitment to look at the contents of my Bill and specifically to conduct a call for evidence on building regulation Part K which looks at minimum guarding heights.
“By reintroducing the Bill and highlighting it during PMQ’s, I hope it will encourage colleagues across the House and members of the public to let me know of other similar cases.”
Gabe’s dad Johnny Santer said: “I’m grateful to Peter for highlighting this important issue and his commitment to help bring about a change in the law.
“These are preventable deaths and since I launched my campaign there have been other tragedies where people have fallen from car parks including in Liverpool, five years after Gabe’s death.”
Johnny will be meeting Building Safety Minister, Alex Norris MP next week as the new law would require a change in building regulations.
For more information follow Gabe’s Law on X, Instagram or Facebook @Gabes_law or visit www.gabeslaw.org to join the campaign.