Another British boy with epilepsy could be allowed cannabis oil treatment after yesterday's landmark Home Office ruling on 12-year-old Billy Caldwell's case.

Alfie Dingley, six, suffers from a rare form of the disease that can cause up to 30 seizures a day.

His mother Hannah Deacon, of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, begged the Home Office to let her treat her son with marijuana but they refused.

But the youngster is now expected to become the second UK epilepsy sufferer to be allowed cannabis treatment after Sajid Javid's intervention yesterday.

And there could be many more to come, as ministers consider whether the UK is 'behind' other countries on their attitude to medicinal marijuana.

Alfie Dingley (pictured left with is mother Hannah Deacon) could become the second person in the UK with epilepsy to be granted cannabis oil treatment after the Home Office allowed Billy Caldwell permission yesterday

A Whitehall source told the Sunday Telegraph: 'Cases such as this obviously raise questions about the UK licensing regime, particularly when other advanced economies like Canada are able to license certain products.

Alfie, six (pictured) suffers from a rare form of the disease that can cause up to 30 seizures a day

'There is a concern that we're behind the curve on this, which is why it would make sense to consider a review.'

The Home Secretary yesterday stepped in to issue an 'urgent' licence to recover the drugs seized from Billy Caldwell's mother Charlotte at Heathrow airport last week.

After long talks with senior clinicians Javid had the cannabis oil rushed to Chelsea and Westminster Hospital in London where Billy was fighting for his life.

Ms Caldwell, of County Tyrone, Northern Ireland, believes his condition deteriorated after being deprived of the drug and said he would have held the Home Office responsible if he had died.

Yesterday Alfie's mother said it would be 'unconscionably cruel' not to give him the THC treatment following the U-turn.

The Prime Minister had said Alfie's application would be reviewed 'speedily' back in April but until yesterday's good news an outcome was yet to materialise.

Ms Deacon said yesterday: 'It would be unconscionably cruel if the Home Office delay any further in issuing our medical team the licence they need to administer medical cannabis to our son Alfie.

'The Home Office asked us not to seek publicity while our application was being put together and considered.

'We have complied with that request. But we're now approaching three months. The time for process and bureaucracy has passed.'

Billy Caldwell (pictured in hospital) was left fighting for his life after being deprived of cannabis oil at Heathrow Airport. But now the Home Office has given the drugs back

Alfie's (pictured) mother Hannah Deacon, of Kenilworth, Warwickshire, had begged the Home Office to let her treat her son with marijuana but they refused. Now things could change

WHAT IS CBD OIL AND IS IT LEGAL IN THE UK? Government advisers made it legal to buy CBD supplements in 2016 CBD oil is a legal cannabinoid that can be sold in the UK. CBD contains less than 0.2 per cent of the psychoactive substance THC. Although the oil has been thought to have some medicinal properties, including relieving inflammation, pain and anxiety, there is no conclusive science. Suppliers in England and Wales have to obtain a licence to sell CBD as a medicine. Manufacturers are able to avoid the strict regulation by selling it as a food supplement - ignoring the lengthy process of gaining a medicinal licence. CBD products comes in many forms, the most popular being an oil - which users spray under their tongue - or gel tablets which melt slowly in the mouth. Government advisers at the MHRA found that CBD has a ‘restoring, correcting or modifying’ effect on humans. Cannabis oil, which is different to CBD oil because it contains THC - the compound that gives users a 'high' - is illegal under UK laws. Billy Caldwell, from Castlederg, Northern Ireland, made headlines last April when he became the first Briton to be prescribed it on the NHS. Cannabis oil, which reportedly has no side effects, influences the release and uptake of ‘feel good’ chemicals such as dopamine and serotonin. Advertisement

There is also growing pressure on Theresa May, to allow doctors to prescribe the drug without needing an individual licence in each case, as is already common in many other European countries and US states.

An all party parliamentary group of at least 80 MPs is being formed to press the issue.

Billy Caldwell is pictured with a sign campaigning for other young epilepsy patients to be allowed cannabis oil

Billy's mother Charlotte Caldwell has called for a meeting with cabinet ministers to discuss re-thinking 'massively outdated' laws on medical marijuana so other children can receive treatment.

She said today she wanted them to assure her she would not face 'another battle' for 12-year-old Billy when the 20-day supply returned by the Home Office runs out.

Ms Caldwell, 50, said: 'I want nobody in Government, and nobody who has been impacted by massively outdated laws, to be under any impression that this is job done. This is just the start.

'I want to meet the Home Secretary and Health Secretary, urgently, this week, to get assurance that not only will Billy's meds never again be removed, but to call for an urgent review of the overall policy on medical cannabis as it affects everyone who could benefit.'

'He has 20 days worth of anti-epileptic seizure drugs. What happens after that? Another battle?'

Border officials had seized seven bottles of Billy's cannabis oil after he and his mother Charlotte Caldwell flew in from Canada – where it is legal.

It contains two per cent tetrahydrocannibinol (THC), the main psychoactive compound found in cannabis.

Home Secretary Sajid Javid stepped in to issue an 'urgent' licence, allowing Billy to be treated with the illegal cannabis oil, after he was rushed to hospital following a seizure

Mr Javid said: 'This is a very complex situation, but our immediate priority is making sure Billy receives the most effective treatment possible in a safe way.

'We have been in close contact with Billy's medical team overnight and my decision is based on the advice of senior clinicians who have made clear this is a medical emergency.'

Ms Caldwell thanked Mr Javid for his 'compassion', saying: 'I truly believe that somewhere in the Home Office there is someone with a heart.'

But she said the week had been 'a dreadful, horrendous and cruel experience'.

The saga started when, accompanied by a Mail on Sunday journalist, she and Billy flew in from Toronto, where they had seen a world-leading childhood epilepsy expert who had prescribed a six month supply of cannabis oil as an anti-epileptic treatment.

His mother Charlotte said the Home Office has made just one bottle available - a 20-day supply - to be administered by hospital doctors

Ms Caldwell vowed to declare to customs that she had the illegal oil upon landing, challenging them to leave her alone or arrest her. They did not arrest her – but they did confiscate it.

Later on Monday, she met Policing Minister Nick Hurd, who said drugs laws prevented him from returning it.

According to Ms Caldwell, he told her she could apply for a special licence but that might cost £20,000 and take five months.

In the meantime, she was given a list of three NHS neurologists to see.

Despite efforts, she could not secure an appointment.

During the week Billy's seizures returned for the first time in 250 days. He had been taking cannabis oil for 19 months, thanks to the family's GP in Northern Ireland, who had sourced it for him.

Ms Caldwell said the week had been 'a dreadful, horrendous and cruel experience' for Billy and herself

Ms Caldwell said her battle had 'nothing to do with recreational cannabis use'. However, her case has been backed by Paul Birch, a US internet entrepreneur who has openly pushed for full legalisation of cannabis in the UK

But the supply ran out after the Home Office warned the doctor he could be disbarred if he prescribed any more – forcing the Caldwells to fly to Canada.

Ms Caldwell said the Home Office has made just one bottle available, a 20-day supply, to be administered by hospital doctors.

Stressing she wanted to push for wider availability of medicinal cannabis, she said: 'Today this is about Billy. But from tomorrow this is about thousands of other kids and their families.'

She said her battle had 'nothing to do with recreational cannabis use'.

However, her case has been backed by Paul Birch, a US internet entrepreneur who has openly pushed for full legalisation of cannabis in the UK.

Despite the huge support for Billy, doctors say they are bound not just by the law but also codes of conduct to ensure they only prescribe tested and approved medicines.