Winchester & Chandler's Ford MP Steve Brine spoke in the Commons debate he helped organise as the Have a Heart campaign took another step forward.
Following the delivery of a petition to Downing Street the previous day, local MPs of all colours united in speaking up to save children's heart surgery at Southampton General Hospital.
The Daily Echo has lead the campaign from the front, and the final total of signatures that were delivered to the Prime Minister on Wednesday supporting the unit was 240,094.
Addressing the House of Commons, Steve said: "The campaign based around so-called Option B, containing children's heart surgery at Southampton has been enormous by any measure."
Southampton's paediatric heart unit, ranked second in the country, is under threat as health bosses look to reduce the number of such centres across the UK from eleven to six or seven. 'Option B' is one of four courses of action currently being considered. Should the unit close, local patients and their families would need to travel to London or Bristol for treatment, at units that are not as highly regarded as Southampton.
Steve continued: "I want to be crystal clear- the team from Southampton supported the Safe and Sustainable Review taking place and on-balance still do but they were shocked to their core by a process that is about quality could put one of the world's top centres on such a sticky wicket."
Following the debate, in which fellow southern MPs Andrew Smith and Alan Whitehead also spoke, a motion was passed which called on the Joint Committee of Primary Care Trusts (JCPCT) to consider other alternatives when making their decision later in the year.
Pictured; A Daily Echo photographer snaps the local 'coalition' fighting for Southampton's Paediatric Heart Unit
More information...
View Steve's campaign webpage here and check out the Daily Echo via www.dailyecho.co.uk.