Hunt “strained” the law to try to close Lewisham Hospital services, say judges

Jeremy Hunt, England’s health secretary, comprehensively failed in his attempt to persuade three Court of Appeal judges that he was acting lawfully in deciding last January to downgrade services at Lewisham Hospital in south London, the judges’ reasoning shows.

Hunt proposed to downgrade emergency and maternity services at Lewisham Hospital, after a package of recommendations by the special administrator appointed to a neighbouring trust, South London Healthcare NHS Trust, which was failing financially.

His decision was quashed by the High Court …