2,000 Maternity Beds Axed Under labour

Nearly 2,000 maternity beds have been cut under New Labour, leaving too few midwives and a service in crisis.

Figures show a cut of 1,898 maternity bed units since 1997. Births are up by 12.5%, but there has only been a 4.5% increase in midwives. Tory leader David Cameron has warned that 40 maternity units and 90 A&E wards in English hospitals are in danger of closure