Ministers pledge millions for NHS maternity safety after The Independent exposes scandals on wards

Latest updates and essential advice from The Independent [View in browser]( [Alternate text] Daily briefing November 26, 2020 Today’s essential news from the source you trust This morning’s headlines Ministers are to [invest millions in making Britain's maternity wards safer](, after The Independent exposed a series of cases in which mothers and babies had suffered avoidable harm during childbirth. The new money - almost £10m - was announced as part of Wednesday's spending review, and will deliver new pilots of what the Treasury called "cutting-edge training" to improve practice during childbirth. Significant failings in maternity safety units across the NHS have devestated families and left some babies needing tens of millions of pounds to look after them in later life. Derek Richford, whose grandson Harry Richford died as a result of a catalogue of errors at East Kent Hospitals University Trust in 2017, told The Independent:"This investment will help to avoid such tragedies that befell Harry.” Government spending on the Covid-19 crisis has [reached the equivalent of £12,000 for every household]( in the UK, as Rishi Sunak committed a further £55bn to fighting the disease next year. The scale of the economic emergency was laid bare in official figures published alongside the chancellor's spending review on Wednesday, showing the UK economy shrank by 11.3 per cent in 2020 in the worst recession for 300 years. The extra £55bn committed to dealing with Covid-19 next year - a figure more than the entire defence budget - brings the total bill for the pandemic to at least £335bn, putting government spending as a share of the economy at levels only previously seen in wartime. Nearly 700 more people have died within 28 days of testing positive for coronavirus in the UK - the [highest daily figure reported since early May](. The government said there had also been a further 18,213 lab-confirmed cases of the virus as of Wednesday morning. This took the national tally for cases to more than 1,557,000. The total number of deaths within 28 days of a positive test rose to 56,533, after the government announced the 696 additional deaths on Wednesday. Separate figures published by the UK's statistics agencies for deaths where Covid-19 has been mentioned on the death certificate, together with additional data on deaths that have occured in recent days, show there have now been 72,000 deaths involving coronavirus in the UK. . We need your support The Independent employs over 100 journalists around the world to bring you news you can trust. Please consider showing your support with a contribution. [Contribute]( . Top stories [Diego Maradona was a player who dominated the game like a god]( [Great Ormond St hospital porter charged with 52 child sex offences]( [Trump pardons disgraced former aid Michael Flynn]( . Uncertain times, unrivalled clarity, unlimited access Enjoy 50% off Independent Premium for 12 months with this limited-time offer [Find out more]( . More news - [Corbyn supporter spared jail after telling Margaret Hodge to die]( - ['Don't be like us': 15 members of one family infected at gathering]( - [I'm a Celeb viewers horrified by 'worst ever' Bushtucker Trial]( . News you can trust The Independent has a 100% NewsGuard trust rating [NewsGuard] [Find out more]( . If you can spare two minutes we’d love to hear your [feedback]( on our newsletters [Alternate text] Join the conversation or follow us [Twitter]( [Facebook]( Please do not reply directly to this email You are currently registered to receive The Independent's News email. Add us to your safe list of senders. If you do not want to receive The Independent News email and Breaking News alerts, please [unsubscribe](list_name=IND_Headlines_Masterlist_CDP). If you no longer wish to receive any newsletters or promotional emails from The Independent, you can unsubscribe [here](. This e-mail was sent by Independent Digital News and Media Ltd, 2 Derry Street, London W8 5HF. Registered in England and Wales with company number 07320345. Read our [privacy notice]( and [cookie policy](.