Wes Streeting calls for ‘cross-party consensus’ on gender identity ahead of puberty blocker trial

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged the Conservative party to maintain cross-party consensus on gender identity services, specifically regarding a planned puberty blocker trial for children. This follows concerns raised by Kemi Badenoch and Stuart Andrew about NHS England supporting a trial involving drugs that halt natural puberty, citing weak evidence of effectiveness and potential long-term harm. The trial, part of a larger research project, will study the effects of puberty blockers on over 200 children with gender identity conditions, following recommendations from a report by Hilary Cass. While the government has banned the treatment outside of clinical trials, the £10.7 million study, conducted by King's College London researchers, aims to determine if there are any beneficial effects. Streeting acknowledges his own discomfort with medication affecting natural development, but emphasizes the need for a consensus-based approach.

Explore how the topics in this article connect to other news stories

Discover articles with similar content using semantic similarity analysis.