The mother of a boy with severe epilepsy has called for a meeting with the home secretary and health secretary to talk about making medical cannabis legal for children who have similar conditions to her son.

Charlotte Caldwell said it was “absolutely horrific” and “cruel” that 12-year-old Billy had been refused cannabis oil after Home Office officials confiscated a six-month supply. She is seeking a discussion on the issue with Sajid Javid and Jeremy Hunt.

She added that his condition was now beginning to improve after being allowed to have some of the treatment on licence.

Speaking to BBC Breakfast, Caldwell said: “This experience, that myself and my little boy have endured in this last week, I do not want, and I will not stand by and let, any other family in our country endure. It’s absolutely horrific, it’s cruel.

“I’m asking Sajid now. I’m in London, I can assure him I’m not going anywhere, until this is now put in place and this medicine is made accessible to all the other children that desperately need it.”

Billy began using cannabis oil, which contains a substance called tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), in 2016 to control his seizures.

THC is illegal in the UK but available elsewhere. Billy’s most recent supply, which came from Canada, was confiscated when he and his mother arrived at Heathrow airport from Toronto. After Billy suffered “life-threatening” seizures without access to his supply, Javid issued a special licence to provide him with treatment.

The oil was administered under a 20-day licence and is not allowed to be taken home. A spokeswoman for the Home Office said it was an “exceptional licence” for a “short-term emergency” and it would need to be reviewed.