Kirkup Quits England Maternity Review After Criticism Was Cut 8 Days Before Release
Updated
Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 30
Kirkup Quits England Maternity Review After Criticism Was Cut 8 Days Before Release
3 articles · Updated · bbc.co.uk · Jun 30
Summary
Dr Bill Kirkup said a government-commissioned maternity safety review was altered eight days before publication to remove criticism of the “normal birth drive,” prompting his resignation from the inquiry team.
Kirkup said investigators had found the approach was still an issue in some places, despite earlier reviews in Morecambe Bay and East Kent linking pursuit of vaginal birth without intervention to avoidable deaths and harm.
Tuesday’s National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation instead said a “normal” birth agenda was not a contributory factor in poor outcomes, even as it found women across England were repeatedly not listened to by maternity services.
Baroness Amos declined to comment on Kirkup’s claims; campaigner James Titcombe said bereaved families deserved transparency, while midwife Leah Hazard welcomed the report’s conclusion and said “normal birth ideology” does not dominate care.
The dispute lands after the inquiry heard from more than 450 families and urged eight reforms, including a maternity commissioner, a recommendation ministers have already accepted.
With hundreds of failed recommendations, can one new commissioner truly fix England's broken maternity services?
As birth injuries reach a six-year high, is a £41m investment enough to overhaul the entire system?
England’s NHS Maternity Crisis: 2026 Amos Inquiry Reveals Systemic Failures and Demands National Reform
Overview
In June 2026, Baroness Valerie Amos’s independent inquiry revealed that England’s NHS maternity and neonatal services face deep, systemic failures. The report, prompted by growing concerns from families and advocacy groups, showed that problems are not limited to individual hospitals but are widespread across the country. Groups like the Nottingham Maternity Families Group called for a national inquiry, stressing that issues are not unique to specific trusts. The findings highlighted an urgent need for comprehensive reform to ensure safe, high-quality care for all families, confirming that these failures are a national, not local, problem.