Maternity adviser quits in ‘normal birth’ dispute

The chair of several high-profile safety inquiries has resigned from the government’s national maternity review in a dispute over “normal birth ideology”, HSJ can reveal.

Bill Kirkup, who also investigated the Morecambe Bay and East Kent maternity scandals, stepped down from his position as expert adviser to the national maternity and neonatal investigation.

In a letter ahead of today’s publication of the national review, its chair Baroness Valerie Amos writes: “Dr Bill Kirkup has decided to step down from his role as one of the expert advisers to the NMNI.

“This was following discussions regarding the wording of the conclusions relating to normal birth ideology in the final report, where we were not able to reach agreement.”

However, HSJ understands Dr Kirkup’s position is that he resigned because of a disagreement of principle over the findings on normal birth, and not simply on the specific wording.

It appears he wanted a stronger line on the patient safety consequences of a normal birth ideology than Baroness Amos would agree to.

A “normal birth” ideology has been repeatedly referred to in various recent maternity scandals, prioritising spontaneous vaginal birth with minimal medical interventions as an ideal outcome.

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Source: HSJ, 29 June 2026