National Maternity and Neonatal Investigation

Debate between James Murray and Liz Jarvis

Tuesday 30th June 2026 Commons Chamber

[James Murray]

My hon. Friend is right to again draw attention to the importance of accountability in making maternity services operate as they should. That applies to the racism, discrimination and inequality that it is important that we tackle, as she says. Ultimately, it is right that I as Secretary of State and all Government Ministers are held to account by Parliament for our actions in this space, but we also need to make sure that accountability is spread throughout the system. Our decision to extend the anti-discrimination programme across all trusts by the end of 2027 is an important first step in making sure that all trusts are held accountable for tackling discrimination and racism where it exists. More broadly, the national action plan, which we will publish by the end of the year, will explain exactly how we will embed accountability for racism and discrimination throughout the system.

[Liz Jarvis (Eastleigh) (LD)]

Recommendation 3 of the report calls for improvements to how the system responds when something goes wrong, including providing a sincere apology. Will the Secretary of State apologise now to my constituents Charlotte and James, who lost their baby Norah at Winchester hospital, and to the thousands of families who have suffered the loss of a baby due to systemic failures in NHS maternity care?

[James Murray]

I thank the hon. Lady for her comments, and I am incredibly sorry to hear about her constituents Charlotte and James and their baby Norah. I met some of the families in Nottingham two weeks ago, and the depth of pain was numbing—that is a word that someone in the room said to me—because what was said was so heavy to hear and to understand. What made me feel even more numb was recognition that this deep pain is replicated so many times; there is also the breadth of the pain—the sheer scale of it. The hon. Lady’s constituents Charlotte and James and their baby Norah are just one more example of families being let down by NHS maternity services. The responsibility to do something about it weighs heavily on all of us, and on me as Secretary of State.

Oral Answers to Questions

Debate between James Murray and Liz Jarvis

Tuesday 10th March 2026 Commons Chamber

[Liz Jarvis (Eastleigh) (LD)]

T3. David, who owns the Steam Town Brew Co. in my constituency, tells me that his biggest concerns right now are inflation and the ability to plan ahead. What reassurance can the Minister give him that businesses in my constituency will be supported with the stability and certainty that they need?

[The Chief Secretary to the Treasury (James Murray)]

Businesses in the hon. Lady’s constituency, and indeed across the country, can know that, whatever instability we face in the world in the months and weeks ahead, the Government have done the right thing for the economy by bringing down inflation, interest rates, borrowing, debt and debt costs. All that puts us in the strongest possible position to be resilient going into the future.