Hewitt to explain medics' jobs plan

Mrs Hewitt is to brief MPs on how the Government will "fulfil its responsibilities" after medics lost a court bid to scrap the new computerised Medical Training Application Service (MTAS).

Pressure group Remedy UK had asked the High Court to rule that MTAS - which has been beset by a catalogue of IT and organisational failures - was invalid, and junior doctors should be re-interviewed for posts.

Mr Justice Goldring denied the application - although he did insist the candidates had "an entirely justifiable sense of grievance".

The Government has already agreed that the old CV-based system should be used for the forthcoming second round of interviews.

Last night, Mrs Hewitt survived a no-confidence vote tabled by the Conservatives which condemned her handling of the NHS as "serial incompetence".

However, during Prime Minister's Questions, Tony Blair refused to recommend her to his successor Gordon Brown.

Tory leader David Cameron accused Mr Blair of "hanging his health secretary out to dry".

Mrs Hewitt also faced angry scenes in Brighton as she told midwives at the Royal College of Midwives' annual conference of the need for closures to some maternity units.

As pressure mounted on the Health Secretary, the Tories released figures claiming that up to one in three consultant-led maternity units could close across England.