Spanish tourism leaders have gathered in London to reassure UK visitors that they remain a 'priority' for Spain, amidst growing concerns over overtourism and anti-tourism protests in popular destinations. Rosario Sánchez Grau, Spain's secretary of state for tourism, emphasized the importance of the UK-Spain tourism relationship, stating, 'We are proud and grateful that Spain remains the number one holiday destination for UK visitors. It is our priority to protect and nurture this relationship for the future.'

The event, attended by mayors from Spain's most popular coastal areas and top travel executives, aimed to address the challenges posed by overtourism. Manuel Butler, the director of the Spanish Tourist Office in the UK, highlighted the need to differentiate between local tensions and the overall welcoming nature of Spain. 'The vast majority of Spain remains enthusiastic in welcoming tourists,' Butler remarked, pointing out that protests in cities like Barcelona and Palma de Majorca stem from broader societal issues such as housing pressures and environmental strain.

Steve Heapy, chief executive of Jet2, voiced concerns over the impact of anti-tourism protests on UK holidaymakers. Heapy noted a growing perception among some that overseas visitors are not welcome in Spain, a sentiment fueled by demonstrations featuring messages like 'tourists go home.' He also criticized 'unlicensed tourism,' particularly through platforms like Airbnb, for exacerbating local tensions by driving up rental rates and bypassing regulations. 'Airbnb can be controlled. They don't rule the world,' Heapy asserted, advocating for stricter legislation and hefty fines for non-compliance.

The discussions in London underscore the delicate balance between sustaining Spain's vital tourism industry and addressing the legitimate concerns of local communities. With both Spanish officials and UK travel leaders committed to finding solutions, the focus is now on implementing measures that ensure Spain remains a welcoming destination for tourists while mitigating the impacts of overtourism. As the dialogue continues, the hope is that these efforts will preserve the cherished UK-Spain tourism relationship for years to come.

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.