A “rapid” national investigation into NHS maternity services has been launched by the government.

The announcement comes after Health Secretary Wes Streeting met families who have lost babies and amid the ongoing investigations at some NHS trusts into maternity care failings.

The investigation in England is intended to provide truth to families suffering harm, as well as driving urgent improvements to care and safety, as part of efforts to ensure “no parent or baby is ever let down again”.

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The Royal College of Midwives (RCM) welcomed the government’s announcement and said maternity services were “at, or even beyond, breaking point”.

Last week, the NHS regulator said maternity and neonatal services at two Leeds hospitals had been rated inadequate over safety issues.

Mr Streeting, who was speaking at the Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists (RCOG) conference in London, apologised on behalf of the NHS for what families had been through and said it was “clear something is going wrong”.

He added: “For the past year, I have been meeting bereaved families from across the country who have lost babies or suffered serious harm during what should have been the most joyful time in their lives.

“What they have experienced is devastating – deeply painful stories of trauma, loss, and a lack of basic compassion – caused by failures in NHS maternity care that should never have happened.

“Their bravery in speaking out has made it clear: we must act – and we must act now.”

Mr Streeting said families have had to “fight for truth and justice” and had described being “ignored, gaslit, lied to, manipulated and damaged further by the inability for a trust to simply be honest with them that something has gone wrong”.

The investigation will consist of two parts.

The first will investigate up to 10 of the most concerning maternity and neonatal units, including Sussex, in the coming weeks to give affected families answers as quickly as possible, according to the Department of Health.

The second will be a “system-wide” look at maternity and neonatal care, uniting lessons from past inquiries to create one clear set of actions designed to improve NHS care.

A National Maternity and Neonatal Taskforce will be chaired by Mr Streeting and made up of experts and bereaved families.

The investigation will begin this summer and report back by December.

Sir Jim Mackey, chief executive of NHS England, said: “This rapid national investigation must mark a line in the sand for maternity care – setting out one set of clear actions for NHS leaders to ensure high quality care for all.”

Dr Ranee Thakar, president of the RCOG, said: “The maternity workforce is on its knees, with many now leaving the profession.”

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RCM chief executive Gill Walton said: “Everyone involved in maternity services – the midwifery community, obstetricians, anaesthetists, sonographers and, of course, the women and families in their care – knows that maternity services are at, or even beyond, breaking point.

“This renewed focus and commitment by the health secretary to deliver change is welcome, and we will do everything we can to support him in doing so.”

Palestine Action will be proscribed as a terrorist organisation, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper has said.

The action has been taken after the activist group claimed responsibility for breaking into RAF Brize Norton last week.

Footage released by the group showed them vandalising aircraft – with reports of damage totalling millions of pounds.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said “the disgraceful attack on Brize Norton” on Friday was “the latest in a long history of unacceptable criminal damage committed by Palestine Action”

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She said a draft proscription order will be laid in parliament next week and if passed, it will make it illegal to be a member of, or invite support for, Palestine Action.

Proscription can lead to prison sentences of up to 14 years for some offences, although some breaches are punishable with fines.

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Saeed Taji Farouky, a member of the group, told Sky News the proscription was “completely irrational” and “without precedent”.

He branded it a “knee-jerk reaction from the government” because the group “was able to humiliate them and show serious flaws in the defences of the RAF base”.

Armed forces minister Luke Pollard said a “full review” of security at military bases was under way, and the government was working alongside counter-terror police to find the activists who broke into the Oxfordshire base.

The group has also claimed responsibility for several incidents involving red paint being sprayed on businesses.

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A protest in support of Palestine Action was taking place on Monday in London.

Sir Mark Rowley, the head of the Metropolitan Police, said he was “shocked and frustrated” that the action was going ahead.

He added that he had limited powers to stop the demonstration until proscription takes place.

The Metropolitan Police three people had been arrested at the Palestine Action protest in Trafalgar Square – two for obstruction and one for a “racially aggravated public order offence”.

In her statement to parliament, Ms Cooper said Palestine Action “publicises and promotes its attacks involving serious property damage”.

She said the group had claimed responsibility for an attack on a Jewish-owned business in north London, as well as causing millions of pounds of damage to defence businesses.

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The home secretary said, however, that if parliament supports the proscription, the right to “peaceful protest” will remain unaffected.

“It is vitally important that those seeking to protest peacefully, including pro-Palestinian groups, those opposing the actions of the Israeli government, and those demanding changes in the UK’s foreign policy, can continue to do so,” she added.

Former minister Tulip Siddiq has accused the leader of Bangladesh of conducting an “orchestrated campaign” to damage her reputation and “interfere with UK politics”, according to a new legal letter seen by Sky News.

The Labour MP also said comments made by Professor Muhammad Yunus in a Sky News interview have prejudiced her right to a fair investigation, meaning the ongoing corruption inquiries into her should be dropped.

In March, the chief adviser – who is effectively the country’s interim leader – told Sky News that Ms Siddiq “has so many (sic) wealth left behind here” and “should be made responsible”.

Bangladesh’s Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has opened several investigations into Ms Siddiq alleging corruption in connection with the government of her aunt Sheikh Hasina, who was ousted as the country’s prime minister last year.

In the new correspondence sent today to Professor Yunus and the ACC, lawyers for the former minister write: “The time has now come for the chief adviser and the ACC to abandon their wholly misconceived and unlawful campaign to smear Ms Siddiq’s reputation and interfere with her public service.”

Sky News has approached the chief adviser and the ACC for comment.

The Bangladeshi authorities have previously said they have evidence to back up their claims of corruption and will pursue action through the country’s courts.

Speaking to Sky News on Monday, Ms Siddiq said: “I will not be allowing them to drag me into their world of dirty politics and nothing is going to stop me from pursuing the job that I was elected to do with an overwhelming majority, which is representing the people of Hampstead and Highgate.

“So they need to stop this political vendetta, this smear campaign, and this malicious persecution right from the beginning.”

The MP had requested a meeting with the Bangladeshi leader during an official visit to the UK earlier this month to “clear up” any misunderstandings.

But this was turned down by the chief adviser, who said he did not want to “interrupt a legal procedure”.

In the new legal letter, lawyers for Ms Siddiq say the interim leader had already unfairly influenced the inquiries through previous comments.

“The copious briefings to the media, the failure to respond to our letters, the failure to even ask to meet with and question Ms Siddiq during their recent visit to the United Kingdom are impossible to justify and completely inconsistent with a fair, lawful and serious investigation,” reads the letter.

The correspondence also sets a deadline of 30 June 2025 for the Bangladeshi authorities to reply by, stating that “in the absence of a full and proper response… Ms Siddiq will consider this matter closed”.

A former Nobel Prize winning economist, Professor Muhammad Yunus became interim leader of Bangladesh last August after weeks of deadly protests forced Sheikh Hasina from power.

He has pledged to root out corruption and recover alleged stolen wealth before holding votes to elect a permanent administration.

Last month, Professor Yunus banned the Awami League – the political party still led by Sheikh Hasina – from standing in the coming elections.

That led to criticism from those still loyal to the former prime minister, with protests also sparking in the country over jobs, pay and planned reforms.

Earlier this year, Ms Siddiq attracted criticism over newspaper reports alleging property links to individuals connected to the Awami League.

She referred herself to the prime minister’s standards adviser Sir Laurie Magnus who said he had “not identified evidence of improprieties” but added it was “regrettable” Ms Siddiq had not been more alert to the “potential reputational risks” of the ties to her aunt.

Ms Siddiq said continuing in her role would be “a distraction” for the government but insisted she had done nothing wrong.

Sheikh Hasina is currently standing trial in absentia in Dhaka over alleged killings during last summer’s civil unrest.

Asked by Sky News if she had any regrets about links to the Awami league, Ms Siddiq said: “The main thing I would say to you, I’m very proud to be the MP for Hampstead and Highgate. I was born in London, I grew up in London. I went to school here and now I’m an MP here.”

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In March, Sky News revealed that UK investigators could assist with probes into alleged grand corruption during Hasina’s time in power.

Staff from the National Crime Agency visited Bangladesh in October and November as part of initial work to support the interim government in the country.

Last month, the NCA confirmed it had secured a “freezing order” against a property in north London linked to Ms Siddiq’s family.

She denies all the allegations – and sources close to the MP say the authorities have been sending correspondence to an address in Dhaka that has no connection with her.