NADINE DORRIES: The chilling insight into chaotic Lucy Letby ward that reveals so much. A decision can't come soon enough

Published: 00:59, 14 July 2026 | Updated: 02:38, 14 July 2026 Carl and Clare Bolton say Lucy Letby saved the life of their daughter Jessica. In a moving interview with The Mail on Sunday, the Boltons reveal Lucy was the lead nurse in the neonatal unit at the Countess of Chester Hospital on the night in May 2016 when their baby was transferred there. Jessica deteriorated unexpectedly and, according to the medical team who later briefed the Boltons, Lucy acted twice – on the second occasion ‘going above and beyond the call of duty’, says Carl. The couple’s impression of the unit was that it was ‘chaos’. Understaffed, under-equipped and under intense pressure. But it is the Boltons’ description of Lucy that struck a chord with me. ‘From our perspective, she was the person who seemed to know what she was doing . . . and who took the time to explain what was happening while working in a place that was clearly struggling,’ Carl says. All of this chimes with everything I have been told by nurses who worked with Lucy – and with what I know of the dire state of NHS maternity and neonatal services. It is why I remain convinced of her innocence. During my two years as minister responsible for patient safety, I was being informed on a daily basis about babies who had died on labour wards and in special care baby units – deaths which had been wholly avoidable. In the face of huge resistance from NHS bosses, I ordered three independent inquiries into the worst performing maternity units. Horrifyingly, I discovered the problem was more widespread than I could ever have imagined. But at no time did I feel the NHS hierarchy was on my side. The decision cannot come soon enough for a woman, now 36, for whom every day in jail is another day of her life wasted, writes Nadine Dorries I met resistance and obstruction at every step. On more than one occasion, I even asked officials if the NHS was actively involved in covering up baby deaths. My question was always met by a wall of silence. Throughout my years in the post – a period in which Lucy Letby was arrested and released twice – never once was the Countess of Chester Hospital brought to my attention by a Department of Health or NHS official. Was it because I would have demanded to know more? Was it because I would have asked to visit the hospital to meet with the CEO, managers and staff in the neonatal unit, as I had done at Shrewsbury and Telford? Or was it because I, as a former nurse who had trained in the North-West, might have questioned the police on why one lone nurse was being investigated over a spike in baby deaths when the failings of maternity and neonatal services nationally were already a scandal? Why weren’t doctors and managers being investigated, too? The Boltons experienced similar obstruction. As the Letby case made its way through the courts, the couple attempted to tell the police of their grave concerns about the Chester neonatal unit. They didn’t know if Lucy was innocent or guilty – a position they maintain today – but felt the jury wasn’t being told the truth about the standard of care on the unit. The couple contacted police twice, the hospital and even Letby’s defence team. ‘Nobody wanted to know,’ says Carl. They’ve been inspired to come forward now by the findings of the recent Nottingham maternity services inquiry, which they believe shows ordinary families can force institutions to answer difficult questions. That is indeed a heartening development. I know now that Lucy Letby was a well-liked young nurse on the Chester unit, one of the most highly qualified and one of the most conscientious. But I didn’t know that when, as her trial unfolded, I was thinking: ‘Hang on, this cannot be right.’ Throughout my years in the post never once was the Countess of Chester Hospital brought to my attention by a Department of Health or NHS official Afterwards, as questions about the safety of her conviction for murdering seven babies and attempting to murder seven more grew and I discovered more about her case, I became convinced she was innocent – because of what I had seen and learned as a minister. I believed she was being made a scapegoat for multiple failings in the NHS. Today, every accusation levelled against Lucy Letby has been challenged. The Criminal Cases Review Commission – which investigates potential miscarriages of justice – is considering the case for a retrial based on new evidence presented by an international panel of neonatology experts. The decision cannot come soon enough for a woman, now 36, for whom every day in jail is another day of her life wasted. If you’re after a portable air-con unit to see you through this endless heatwave, then good luck. It seems there isn’t one left to buy in the entire country. I managed to get a re-furbished one from Italy. It’s made my nights and my sleep easier, but what I hadn’t anticipated was the joy it would bring to my two white terriers who spend their afternoons on my bed asleep as the cooling blasts wash over them, taking the temperature down from 30-plus degrees to 18. They’ve now taken to sitting at the bedroom door waiting to be let in. Talk about having me wrapped around a little paw or two. For me, the next Bond must be James Norton, writes Nadine Dorries  The actors reportedly shortlisted to be the next James Bond are on manoeuvres as the frenzy builds ahead of a second round of auditions and the big reveal in the autumn. How else do you explain Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Callum Turner and James Norton rocking up to Wimbledon last week, immaculately suited and booted? For me, the next Bond must be Norton. He has the required demeanour of a public school-educated Brit with intelligence and good looks, who could also expertly seduce women – and kill baddies. I agree with the actor Idris Elba – often touted as a potential Bond – that the next 007 should adhere to the character as penned by Ian Fleming. Amazon, which bought the franchise, should acknowledge that Bond was ‘written how he was for a reason’. Please cast a white Englishman, avoid the boring ‘woke’ trap and stay true to Fleming’s vision. Anything else would be a betrayal. We have had two Brexit leaders and a Brexit prime minister in my lifetime. Iain Duncan Smith, Conservative Party leader, reported to the Commissioner for Standards. Resigned. Boris Johnson, prime minister, reported to the Privileges Committee. Resigned. Nigel Farage, Reform UK leader, reported to the Commissioner for Standards, and now fighting for his political life. Does anyone recognise the pattern? All reported by the Left who know how to work a system and create a kangaroo court, weighted against those on the Right. The Right, meanwhile, turn to democracy, the ballot box and a fair election. Eyelashes Andy is set to become our Prime Minister in a week from now on little more than a promise of, ‘I’m going to change everything’. But not one of us knows what that means, nor have we elected him. Doesn’t it feel more like North Korea every day? Counter terrorism police are now investigating if my friend and Reform colleague Ann Widdecombe’s murder was politically motivated. Which begs the question: why did Devon and Cornwall Police so quickly issue a statement saying her murder was not politically motivated. What evidence did they have for that? Did they know who Ann was? She lived and breathed politics, was outspoken, and appeared on TV and radio every week. Did they think they were dealing with someone out to steal her beloved garden gnomes? Hard questions need to be asked. 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