Yesterday’s Westminster Hall debate on maternity services in England was another devastating reminder of why we're fighting for a UK-wide independent inquiry.

Once again, the same dangerous falsehoods that contributed to the deaths of Kate and Pippa were repeated in Parliament - this time by Labour MP for Lichfield, Dave Robertson.

His entirely incorrect and reckless statements about standalone midwife-led units - claiming they are “every bit as safe as those big hospitals that we’ve heard many members talking about today”, that they enable “a more natural birth”, and are better, safer, and lead to less intervention - are exactly the kind of dangerous misinformation that has led to avoidable deaths and lifelong harm.

Let’s be crystal clear:

• Standalone midwife-led units are NOT as safe as hospitals if something goes wrong.  Ludlow, where Kate was born, was a standalone unit.  There was no access to obstetric or neonatal care.  By the time transfer was possible to the nearest hospital, it was too late.
  
  
• Robertson claimed fewer interventions happen at midwife-led units as if that’s a benefit.  They happen less often because they CANNOT happen there. 
  No forceps.  No emergency C-section.  No neonatal crash team.
  They don’t have the equipment, the staff, the facilities, the training, the operating theatres, the anaesthetists, the resuscitation equipment…
  
  
• When seconds count, the delay caused by needing to transfer from a midwife-led unit to a hospital where life-saving interventions are possible can be catastrophic.
  
  
• Robertson spoke about C-section risks without mentioning that death is a much bigger risk from childbirth.  He downplayed the severe, life-threatening consequences of forceps deliveries while completely failing to acknowledge that many women don’t get a choice at all - because they are being fed lies about so-called ‘natural’ birth.
  
  
• Choice means nothing if it is not an informed choice.

The obsession with promoting midwife-led care at all costs has led to women being denied factual information.  Kate was born at a standalone unit because I was never told of any risks or advised there were other options available to me.

As a first-time mother, cared for exclusively by natural birth-obsessed midwives, I had no idea - and Kate had no chance.

On the cusp of what should have been Kate’s 16th birthday, we demand a public correction and an apology from Dave Robertson.

This isn’t about ‘not scaring mums-to-be’.

The root of the problem is that the reality of childbirth - and the narrative around it - has been de-risked to the point of delusion.

The UK has the largest female health gap in the G20 and the 12th largest globally.  The truth is that maternity care is in crisis.

This is exactly why we need an independent four-nation inquiry.

• Northern Ireland was mentioned in the debate; yes, maternity care is failing there too.
• And OUR research shows it’s failing in Wales and Scotland as well.
• Jess Brown-Fuller, Liberal Democrat MP for Chichester, stated:
  
  “We currently have no national data regarding preventable deaths.  It is the charitable sector that has determined that more than 800 baby deaths a year could have been prevented.”
  That’s for England alone.
• And Kayleigh and I have documented every avoidable death and case of harm in Wales, Scotland, Northern Ireland, and England.

In other words, we are far more committed to the truth and learning than Dave - his ignorance makes him unfit to be part of the maternity debate.

Meanwhile, the Nottingham review is ongoing, Leeds wants its own inquiry, and Oxford families are calling for the same.  Bradford is a dangerous outlier. Whistleblowers are being sacked and sued.

And on it goes.

But we cannot have multiple separate investigations.  We need one comprehensive review of what is happening across the entire UK.

Thankfully, Dr Danny Chambers, Liberal Democrat MP for Winchester, raised an issue that is fundamental to our petition: the urgent need to redesign maternity care to include pre-conception health.  He referenced discussions with Professor Louise Kenny, a consultant obstetrician and leading researcher, who emphasised that healthy gestation is the foundation of a person’s lifelong health - having a far greater impact than any lifestyle changes in adulthood.

This is exactly why a four-nation inquiry cannot just focus on labour and delivery. We must examine the full spectrum of maternal care - from pre-conception health, stress, and nutrition, through pregnancy, birth, the postnatal period, and early years. The current fragmented system fails women and babies at every stage.

And we cannot talk about maternity care without talking about child poverty.  In the UK, 22% of children lived in poverty in 2022/23 - that’s 3.2 million children.  After housing costs, this rises to one in four children.  The conditions in which a child is conceived, born, and raised directly impact their lifelong health and wellbeing. 

If we are serious about improving maternity outcomes, then ending child poverty and reinstating early years support must be part of the solution.

A true redesign must start at the very beginning - before conception - and end with a commitment to giving every child the best possible start in life.

So, once again, we are demanding action:

1. A four-nation review - not many separate individual trust-focussed investigations.
2. A complete overhaul of maternity and postnatal care.
3. An end to false, dangerous narratives that put babies and mothers at risk.

YOU Too Can Take Action And Demand Accountability

We are pretty sure you agree that MPs should not be spreading false and dangerous information about maternity care.  Dave Robertson must apologise for his incorrect statements.

Therefore, would you consider contacting your MP, asking them to:

1. Call on Dave Robertson to issue a public correction and apology.
2. Support a four-nation inquiry instead of multiple fragmented reviews.
3. Push for a complete redesign of maternity, healthcare, and social care for pregnancy, birth, and early childhood.
   
   You can use this link to contact your MP directly:
   🔗 Contact Your MP

Suggested Message to Send to Your MP (you can of course write your own)

Subject: Urgent Action Needed – Support a UK-Wide Maternity Inquiry & Demand Accountability

Dear [MP’s Name],

My name is [Your Name], and I am writing to express my full support for the creators of the National Maternity Inquiry petition, which now has over 36,000 signatures.  I am deeply concerned about the ongoing failures in maternity care across the UK and the dangerous misinformation being spread by some MPs in Parliament.

During the Westminster Hall debate on maternity services in England on 25th February, Labour MP for Lichfield, Dave Robertson, made false and misleading statements about standalone midwife-led units being "as safe as hospitals" and interventions being "dangerous".  His claims directly contradict the findings of the Ockenden Review, which exposed how prioritising ‘natural’ births over safety has led to countless preventable deaths and serious harm to mothers and babies.

I am asking you, as my MP, to:

Call on Dave Robertson to issue a public correction and apology for his inaccurate statements that mislead the public and put lives at risk.

Support a UK-wide independent inquiry into maternity care, instead of allowing multiple separate trust-level reviews that fail to address the systemic crisis across the four nations.

Push for a full redesign of maternity, healthcare, and social care services to prioritise evidence-based, safe, and accessible care for all mothers and babies.

The UK has the largest female health gap in the G20 and the 12th largest globally. This is a crisis.  The families behind this petition - who fought for the Ockenden Review - have documented avoidable deaths and cases of harm across England, Wales, Scotland, and Northern Ireland.  Parliament must listen to those who have lived through these failures and act now to stop more families from suffering.

Please let me know where you stand on this issue and what action you will take.

You can find the petition here:
🔗 National Maternity Inquiry Petition

I look forward to your response.

Sincerely,
[Your Name]
[Your Address] [Optional]
[Your Email] [Optional]

Thank you to all our supporters - from Rhiannon, Richard, Kayleigh and Colin.