Thirlwall Inquiry: Final Report and Recommendations
14 Sep 2026 · Commons Chamber · 12 speeches · Official record
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I thank the right hon. Member for his response and questions and for the compassion he shows for the families who have been so badly affected by these terrible events-by the failures in the NHS and the crimes that have taken place. Our intention is to publish the full response within six months and to ensure that we have done so thoroughly. I will discuss this further with Lady Justice Thirlwall later this week. The issue about whistleblowers, which the right hon. Member raised, is incredibly im... Full speech
I thank the hon. Member for her comments, her tribute to the families and her recognition of how much they have endured. She is right to highlight the importance of the duty of candour. One of the most shocking findings of the inquiry was that an “exercise in spin” was put above patient safety, including the safety of some of the most vulnerable patients of all, newborn babies, which is truly shocking. Boards are already responsible for ensuring that they follow the duty of candour. The inquiry ... Full speech
I call Samantha Dixon. I appreciate that this is particularly sensitive for you, so please take your time. Full speech
This report does not make easy reading, and I cannot imagine how the families feel when they even just look at it. I want to pay tribute to the vast majority of NHS staff right across the UK who do a great job every single day, including my fantastic wife. The families’ legal team have been very clear that they expect all the recommendations to be implemented, and they are asking for a timeline for that. I know that cannot be given today, but it would be good to hear the Secretary of State say t... Full speech
I thank my hon. Friend for raising this and for consistently speaking out for her constituents who have endured the unimaginable and been through the most horrendous experiences within their families-the loss of a baby, or a collapse-and to then have to go through everything that has happened since and still to have shown, as Lady Justice Thirlwall says, such huge dignity in responding to this inquiry. As the inquiry makes clear, those parents and families have given evidence exactly in the hope... Full speech
Thank you, Madam Deputy Speaker; I really appreciate that. This is another very dark day for the families affected by events at the Countess of Chester hospital-those who grieve, who suffer and who continue to live with the terrible fallout. It is crucial for them, as well as every one of my constituents, and those of my right hon. Friend the Member for Alyn and Deeside (Sir Mark Tami) and others, to have absolute confidence that our local hospital-my local hospital-is a safe place. Lady Justice... Full speech
I thank the Secretary of State for her statement and for giving me advance sight of it, and we all thank Lady Justice Thirlwall and her team for their incredibly important work. As the Secretary of State said, the report is both thorough and devastating. These were crimes that shook our whole nation, and no one who has not lost a child in this way could possibly imagine the depth of the parents’ suffering. The task now for the NHS, for the state and for us as parliamentarians is to ensure that f... Full speech
My hon. Friend is right to pay tribute to the staff right across our national health service who work immensely hard every day, including in our neonatal units and maternity units, to provide compassion, support and quality care for people who need it at an important time in their life. That includes the staff across the NHS who were devastated when the police investigation, prosecutions and convictions identified terrible crimes taking place, and who are determined to ensure that the best quali... Full speech
I call the Liberal Democrat spokesperson. Full speech
I send my heartfelt sympathies and those of my party to all the families who have been so cruelly harmed. I thank Lady Justice Thirlwall for her inquiry and the Secretary of State for early sight of the report. Lady Justice Thirlwall’s final report is a dispiriting and, at times, shocking account of repeated mistakes and failures by organisations and individuals. The conviction of Lucy Letby for these murders and attempted murders sets this investigation apart from others, but while the situatio... Full speech
Order. Because the ministerial statement ran over, the shadow Secretary of State has six minutes. Full speech
May I apologise for the timing of the statement and thank the Opposition for their understanding? With permission, Madam Deputy Speaker, I shall make a statement on the report of the three-year public inquiry into events at the Countess of Chester hospital between 2015 and 2018 led by Lady Justice Thirlwall, published today. I am grateful to Lady Justice Thirlwall for her thorough and devastating report. At the heart of the inquiry have been 13 families who lost their newborn babies or who saw t... Full speech