Nottingham Maternity and Neonatal Services

James Naish Excerpts

Wednesday 24th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[James Murray]

The hon. Gentleman makes an important point about regulators and our regulatory system. The report exposes how completely unacceptable it is that regulators have protected their own and what a serious matter that is. We need to ensure that the regulators are doing their job properly, that they have the right mandate to do so and that they have the right instructions about driving up performance in trusts across the country, because otherwise we run the risk of being in a situation in the future where we are again confronted with what he accurately described as shame.

[James Naish (Rushcliffe) (Lab)]

I put on record my thanks and respect for the resolute campaigning of the Nottingham survivors, especially my constituents, Jack and Sarah Hawkins, who have worked so hard to bring these issues to regional and then national attention. They have made sure that baby Harriet’s death was not in vain. I also pay tribute to my hon. Friend the Member for Nottingham South (Lilian Greenwood) who was their MP for many years. As she is a Minister, she will not be speaking in this statement, but she deserves recognition for the steadfast support she gave to them as a family, as well as other families from Nottingham South.

I thank Donna Ockenden who, in addition to supporting thousands of families, invested so much time in Nottingham and Nottinghamshire MPs to ensure that we understood the systemic failings that she was working so hard to identify. This is undoubtedly a shameful day for the NHS.

Another fearless campaigner from Rushcliffe is Ashley Harper, who has been in touch with me about the maternity and neonatal taskforce and its perceived failure to recognise and support families who have been harmed. She would like to see a family expert for harmed children and a family expert for harmed mothers on the taskforce. I know that these asks have been raised by my brave and hon. Friend the Member for Sherwood Forest (Michelle Welsh), who has done so much for the Nottingham families, but will the Secretary of State say whether that is something he is actively considering?

[James Murray]

Let me repeat what I said earlier about my humble admiration for Jack and Sarah Hawkins and their campaign for justice over baby Harriet. My hon. Friend is absolutely right to refer to the failings as systemic. This is not a handful of cases or problems; this truly is a problem that affects the entire system. The culture and the systems that are in place have let people down, and that is why our response must be so comprehensive.

My hon. Friend mentions the input of families into the taskforce and his constituent Ashley Harper, who raised that matter. I am very happy to discuss with him after this statement how we can ensure that the taskforce represents the views of all families.