'Bionic' MP who had hands and feet amputated gets standing ovation on return to parliament

A UK lawmaker was given a rare standing ovation in the House of Commons after returning to work for the first time since losing his arms and feet after a sepsis infection.

Conservative MP Craig Mackinlay walked into the chamber for the weekly Prime Minister's Questions for the first time after going into sepsis shock in September 2023.

Sepsis is a life-threatening infection that occurs when the body's immune system causes damage to its organs in response to infection.

His wife was told at the time to prepare for him to die, the Daily Telegraph newspaper reported.

Doctors were forced to amputate his feet and arms in December, and Mackinlay now uses prosthetic limbs.

"As you know, we don’t allow clapping, but this is an exception," said House Speaker Lindsay Hoyle, who called the MP an inspiration to the country.

Prime minister Rishi Sunak welcomed back his colleague, saying he was "in awe of his incredible resilience".

Opposition leader Keir Starmer, meanwhile, said the parliament came together as one to "pay tribute to your courage and your determination".

Mackinlay told the UK parliament it was an "emotional day" for him and thanked the House speaker and the prime minister for visiting him in the hospital.

He called for embedding "recognition of early signs of sepsis," saying that while it wouldn't have worked for him because it was "too sudden," it could help some people from ending up with prosthetics.