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Lib Dem leader Sir Vince Cable has thrown his weight behind the Mirror campaign to change the law on organ donation .

And following our revelation that almost 500 Brits died last year while waiting for transplants, he insisted: “It’s clear that we desperately need a new approach.”

Now Sir Vince has confirmed it is official Lib Dem policy to back our bid to Change the Law for Life .

He is “confident” boosting organ donors will help save desperately ill patients, such as the face of our campaign Max Johnson.

(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror) (Image: Getty)

The brave nine-year-old, from Cheshire, needs a new heart. Only a mechanical pump fitted inside his tiny chest keeps him alive. For him, it is a race against time.

Sir Vince, 74, said: “There are around 6,500 people in the UK waiting for a transplant. I urge the Government to listen to this campaign and the calls of countless families across the country.

“We can ensure more lives and more children like little Max are saved. I’m proud to be a registered organ donor. I carry my card everywhere. It was an obvious choice.”

(Image: Getty)

(Image: Andy Commins/Daily Mirror)

Our battle for an opt-out system has already won the support of thousands of Brits, doctors, patients and health campaigners.

The Mirror wants presumed consent, whereby organs become available for transplants unless people decide not to take part. We believe England and Northern Ireland should follow Wales with an opt-out donor system. Scotland already has plans to do so.

Labour MP Geoffrey Robinson has put forward a Private Members’ Bill calling for a change to the law.