Top judge on Brexit and maternity ward closures

Hello. Here’s your morning briefing:

Currently, UK legislation is subject to rulings made by the ECJ. Prime Minister Theresa May has insisted it should have no jurisdiction over the UK following Brexit. But opponents argue there’s an apparent contradiction in that position, saying any UK company or organisation doing business in the EU will still be subject to the ECJ’s jurisdiction.

Labour has raised concerns about maternity care. The party found that 42 out of 96 NHS trusts in England who responded to its Freedom of Information request had made the decision to close maternity wards temporarily last year, diverting expectant mothers to wards elsewhere. The most common reasons given were staff and bed shortages. But the government said blaming a lack of staff was “misleading”, adding that short-term closures were “well-rehearsed safety measures, which we expect trusts to use to safely manage peaks in admissions”.

By Tim Harford, BBC World Service

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