Health Secretary Wes Streeting is facing questions over whether a letter from a senior doctor, later removed from a major study for expressing 'gender-critical' views, was the sole reason for pausing a planned puberty blockers trial.
The legal campaign group Good Law Project revealed that the Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) temporarily halted the upcoming PATHWAYS trial following concerns raised by Professor Jacob George, a cardiology physician. The £10 million study, led by King's College London, was designed to analyse the effects of puberty-suppressing hormones on transgender young people.
Last month, Mr Streeting announced a pause to the trial's preparations, citing a letter he had received expressing "new concerns" about child welfare. The department published a redacted version of the letter, which the Good Law Project claims was authored by Professor George. In it, he reportedly suggested the trial could cause "long-term biological harms" and proposed raising the minimum age for participants to 14.
Professor George's involvement in the trial was ended in late February after The Times reported on social media posts where he appeared to endorse 'gender-critical' viewpoints. In one now-deleted post, he reportedly stated the NHS was denying the "basic biological fact" that "gender is set at birth." In another, he described author JK Rowling, known for her stance on gender issues, as a "treasure of our time."
The DHSC stated Professor George was removed as a "precautionary step," but the Good Law Project argued his comments "clearly breached" impartiality laws for policymakers. The group has now called on the government to confirm if his letter was the only basis for pausing the trial and whether Mr Streeting was aware of the concerns about the professor's views beforehand.
"When Streeting paused the trial, the only source he cited was George’s letter – advice that we now know was fatally infected by bias," a spokesperson for the group said.
The pause has drawn criticism from some clinicians. Dr Aidan Kelly, a clinical psychologist, previously told PinkNews the decision seemed to concede to the "anti-trans lobby" and was not motivated by young people's safety. He noted that puberty blockers are widely prescribed internationally and are considered by many experts to be safe, effective, and potentially life-saving for some transgender youth.
A DHSC spokesperson said: "Children with gender dysphoria will still be able to receive care through new regional Children and Young People’s gender services, which provide holistic care, centred on psychosocial support. As the evidence is now being interrogated by clinicians, preparations for the trial have been paused while the MHRA and clinical leaders work through these concerns."
