Family wants 'Alice's Law' after mother's BBL death

The family of a mother of five who died following a Brazilian butt lift (BBL) has written to the government to demand it brings in a new law to regulate the cosmetic industry.

Alice Webb, 33, became unwell and later died in hospital after the treatment given by Jordan James Parke at his Gloucester salon in 2024.

Alice's sister, April Palmer, and her former partner Ben Kingscote have written to health secretary James Murray calling on him to introduce Alice's Law, which would restrict liquid BBL procedures to qualified surgeons.

Alice's family have said they are "disgusted" at the "extremely troubling" lack of progress since she died. The government insisted that it is "taking action".

Jordan James Parke, who was known as the British Lip King, had appeared on television shows to talk about his work.

He died in February in an unrelated incident which is believed to have happened after he underwent a cosmetic procedure.

Aesthetic regulation campaign group Save Face, which backs Alice's Law, said it has warned since 2023 unregulated liquid BBLs carried out by non‑medical practitioners pose a serious risk, and Alice Webb's death "could and should have been prevented".

The letter from Alice's family said if the Government had "acted" on warnings, "Alice might still be with us".

"Every month of inaction risks further, entirely preventable fatalities."

April Palmer said she believed her sister would still be alive if restrictions had been introduced sooner.

"If Alice knew it wasn't safe she wouldn't have had it done. She thought it was a safe procedure," she said.

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care said "tough new measures" will ensure "only qualified healthcare professionals will be able to perform the highest-risk procedures, such as the liquid BBL".

April said her sister's death had been a difficult blow for her family, adding "we couldn't get justice for Alice".

The family is preparing for the inquest into her death, due to take place in the autumn, andrecently marked what would have been her 35th birthday with a trip to Cornwall.

April added: "Nothing helps, but it's good to be together as a family. We're always remembering Alice.

"My children make bracelets and draw pictures of Auntie Alice in heaven.

"It's been incredibly difficult, but all we can do is try and prevent future deaths."

The government has announced proposals to restrict BBLs and other high-risk procedures, but the family's letter criticised ministers for not acting soon enough, despite knowing the dangers.

Alice's former partner Ben Kingscote criticised the previous health secretary Wes Streeting for spending more time talking about the dangers on TV rather than "actually doing something to get it stopped".

A spokeswoman for the Department of Health and Social Care offered their sympathies to Webb's family.

She said: "This government is taking action to crack down on cosmetic cowboys and root out dangerous practices."

At a pre-inquest review on Monday at Gloucestershire Coroner's Court, senior coroner Katy Skerrett said a full inquest in front of a jury would take place in the autumn.

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