Despite over 16,000 signatures on the petition, the government decided yesterday that they wish to challenge the judgement at the court of appeal. On the positive side, after another court case this will confirm that the special administrator and the secretary of state were acting outside their powers, and they might not try to do this again.

If they really wanted to adjust services for the better in South London then they could have used this time for a proper consultation on our services rather than having it as the fallout of a different reorganisation of a trust in special measures. But they know that there is no clinical or financial sense in the downgrading of Lewisham A&E and maternity services, so any proper consultation, outside of a neighbour's special measures regime, would not conclude that this is right for the people of Lewisham, Greenwich, or Southwark.