Parents ‘horrified’ by response to petition after suicide of Bristol student

Natasha Abrahart’s father said the government ‘should introduce a bill … rather than making bland statements’. Photograph: Family Handout/PA

The parents of Natasha Abrahart, who took her own life while studying at the University of Bristol, have reacted with “absolute horror” to the government’s response to their petition calling for a statutory legal duty of care for all students in higher education.

The Abraharts are one of 25 bereaved families who helped launch a parliamentary petition last October, calling on ministers to pass legislation to better protect students and arguing that their mental health, safety and wellbeing should be a government priority.