The UK government has formally approved plans for a second runway at London Gatwick Airport, marking a significant expansion for the country's second-largest airport. Transport Minister Heidi Alexander confirmed the approval on Sunday following a "minded to approve" position announced in February. The £2.2 billion project involves moving the airport's existing northern runway by 12 meters to meet safety standards, enabling both runways to operate simultaneously by the end of the decade.

The expansion is expected to handle approximately 100,000 additional flights annually, primarily accommodating narrow-bodied aircraft like Airbus A320s and Boeing 737s. Government officials project the project will boost trade and tourism while creating around 14,000 new jobs. Chancellor Rachel Reeves emphasized that the privately financed initiative would help "kickstart the economy" and bring billions in investment, noting satisfaction with adjustments made regarding noise mitigation and public transport usage.

Environmental groups and opposition politicians have strongly criticized the decision, citing concerns about increased emissions and noise pollution. The Green Party leader called the approval "deeply irresponsible," pointing to contradictions between asking London residents to change driving habits while subsidizing aviation fuel. Critics also highlighted that only 15% of people take 70% of flights, questioning the economic growth argument when more people leave the country than enter.

The Gatwick approval follows the government's recent backing of a third runway at Heathrow Airport, with officials maintaining that sustainable aviation fuel ensures such expansions don't derail net-zero targets. However, the decision faces potential legal challenges from local communities and environmental organizations concerned about the project's environmental impact. The government will need to ensure the expansion plan is legally sound as opposition mounts from various stakeholders.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has announced an urgent independent inquiry into maternity services at Leeds Teaching Hospitals NHS Trust, describing himself as "shocked" by families' experiences of "repeated maternity failures in Leeds - made worse by the unacceptable response of the trust." The decision comes after years of campaigning by bereaved families who reported feeling "gaslit, dismissed and even blamed" for what went wrong at one of Europe's largest teaching hospitals. Mr. Streeting emphasized the "stark contradiction between scale and safety standards" at the trust, which official data shows "remains an outlier on perinatal mortality."

The inquiry follows a June downgrade by the Care Quality Commission, which rated maternity services at the trust as "inadequate" and identified serious risks to women and babies. Inspectors highlighted a deep-rooted "blame culture" that made staff reluctant to raise concerns about incidents. Brendan Brown, chief executive of LTH NHS Trust, apologized to bereaved families and expressed hope that the inquiry would provide them with "answers." He stated the trust is "determined to do better" and is already taking significant steps to improve maternity and neonatal services following reviews by regulatory bodies.

Families affected by the failures have welcomed the inquiry but are calling for rigorous leadership, specifically requesting that midwife Donna Ockenden chair the investigation. Fiona Winser-Ramm, whose daughter Aliona died in 2020 after an inquest found multiple failures, emphasized the importance of ensuring the inquiry is "the best and most thorough that it can possibly be." She described how families have been "thrust into this life that none of us should be living," noting that their shared grief should never have brought them together under such circumstances.

Serious questions are now being raised about what Sir Julian Hartley, who led the trust for ten years until 2023 and now heads the Care Quality Commission, knew about the poor maternity care. In a statement, Sir Julian expressed being "truly sorry" for families' suffering and said that while he was "absolutely committed to ensuring good patient care across all services, including maternity," this commitment "wasn't enough to prevent some families suffering pain and loss." Lauren Caulfield, whose daughter Grace died in 2022, called it "completely unacceptable that nothing has been done to date" to examine Sir Julian's role, expressing hope that the inquiry will address this gap.