UK health official recuses himself from puberty blockers trial after bias claims
A health official who reportedly intervened to pause a clinical trial on the use of puberty blockers has been removed from any further involvement due to accusations of bias.Prof Jacob George, who was appointed chief medical and scientific officer at the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) in January, raised concerns that led to the Pathways trial being put on hold by the government, according to the Sunday Times.But the regulator announced on Saturday that George would recuse himself from involvement in the trial after gender-critical social media posts made last year emerged.In one post he described the author JK Rowling, known for her gender-critical views, as being a “treasure of our time”.In another he said “the denial of basic biological fact is concerning” in regards to questions about whether the Olympic boxer Imane Khelif was a woman.
The MHRA said that although George’s posts were made before his appointment, he had been removed from involvement in the trial as a precaution.The Pathways trial, which was intended to assess the effect of puberty blockers on children questioning their gender identity, was due to begin recruiting participants in January.It was paused in February after the medicines regulator raised concerns over the wellbeing of children and young people taking part.The youngest participants were expected to be 10 to 11 for biological females and 11 to 12 for biological males, although the team said at the time that the rigorous selection process meant participants would probably be older.However, the regulator has now said the minimum age should be 14 because of the “unquantified risk” of “long-term biological harms”.
The clinical trial had planned to recruit an estimated 226 young people over the next three years.The trial was announced after a recommendation by the Cass review into children’s gender care, which concluded that the quality of research claiming to show the benefits of such medication for youngsters with gender dysphoria was “poor”.Dr Hilary Cass, who led that review, has previously said her report “uncovered a very weak evidence base” for the benefits of puberty blockers for children and young people with gender dysphoria, but “given that there are clinicians, children and families who believe passionately in the beneficial effects, a trial was the only way forward to make sense of this”.Dr Max Davie, a consultant paediatrician who previously worked at the NHS Children and Young People’s Gender Service, said there was no compelling scientific reason to pause the trial.“The tweets by Professor George give a clear indication of his personal views on the topic,” he said.
“He is quite at liberty to hold whatever views on gender identity he may, but what he cannot do is allow these views to affect the fulfilment of his public duty.”He added: “To be clear, there is no compelling scientific reason to halt the Pathways trial.While Prof George’s personal convictions are not the only possible explanation for the MHRA’s abrupt volte-face, it is the only one for which we have evidence.”An MHRA spokesperson said: “With all clinical trials, the MHRA’s top priority is the safety and wellbeing of the trial participants.As part of that commitment, complex clinical trials are kept continuously under review and the MHRA maintains an active scientific dialogue with trial sponsors.
“The MHRA has world-class medical, scientific and regulatory experts who work as a multidisciplinary team to provide evidence-based decisions on clinical trials.These experts will continue to meet with King’s College London to work through the next steps constructively.“Following the identification of social media posts made prior to his appointment, Prof Jacob George is recused from further involvement on the Pathways clinical trial as a precaution.”
Green party membership in UK passes 200,000 after byelection victory
The Green party said its membership had passed 200,000 this weekend in the wake of its victory in the Gorton and Denton byelection, in which it overturned a huge Labour majority.The party’s membership has tripled since September last year, when it was about 68,000, after the announcement of Zack Polanski as its leader.The Green victory in Gorton and Denton is its first in a national byelection, forcing Labour into third place with Reform in second.The Greens now have five MPs and are regularly matching the Lib Dems in the polls while snapping at the heels of Labour and the Conservatives.Labour is under pressure from some of its MPs to steer more to the left to win back progressive voters from the Greens after the byelection result, where 34-year-old plumber Hannah Spencer was elected
Keir Starmer was advised to ditch net zero. He needs to re-embrace it
Less than a year ago, Keir Starmer stood in front of an audience of senior officials and business leaders from 60 countries in London to declare climate action was “in the DNA of my government”.Vowing to go “all out” for net zero and to “accelerate” while others were slowing down, the Lancaster House speech was his strongest intervention yet on the issue. “We’re paying the price for our overexposure to the rollercoaster of international fossil fuel markets,” he said. “Homegrown clean energy is the only way to take back control of our energy system.”For many who know Starmer, that speech reflected his genuine and rationally thought-out view
Few will mourn leader of ‘evil’ regime Ali Khamenei, says UK defence secretary
The UK defence secretary has said few will mourn Iran’s supreme leader, Ali Khamenei, whose death was announced after US and Israeli airstrikes.John Healey, a senior cabinet minister, described the Iranian regime as “evil” and said it had menaced the west by sponsoring at least 20 terrorist plots to attack the UK as well as involvement in proxy wars.He did not criticise the US and Israeli strikes, saying it was “for the US to set out and explain” whether its action was legal. But he also refused to be drawn on the UK having declined use of its military bases for the attacks.While distancing the UK from the strikes, Healey said the government’s role was now to act defensively
Ex-minister adds to UK calls for ban on political donations in cryptocurrency
A former Labour minister has added her voice to those of a growing list of experts and senior MPs calling for a ban on political donations in cryptocurrency as concerns grow over foreign interference in British elections.Rushanara Ali, the Labour MP who helped draft the elections bill when she was a minister in the communities department, called for the government to strengthen the legislation with an outright ban on donations in digital currencies.Ali is planning to intervene when the bill comes back in front of MPs on Monday, as ministers admit they will need to go further to prevent foreign interference in a number of ways.“The enemies of democracy are constantly looking at new ways to undermine our system,” Ali said. “I urge ministers to go further to block the use of cryptocurrencies to funnel money into British politics
Shabana Mahmood’s double down on immigration ‘disappointing’, says Alf Dubs
The home secretary’s decision to double down on hardline immigration reforms in light of Labour’s byelection defeat to the Green party is “disappointing”, according to the Labour peer Alf Dubs.Lord Dubs, a child refugee who fled Nazi-occupied Czechoslovakia on the Kindertransport in 1939, had previously accused Shabana Mahmood of “pulling up the drawbridge” on child migrants.Hannah Spencer, a plumber and Green councillor, won the previously safe Labour seat of Gorton and Denton in east Manchester on Thursday, overturning a majority of 13,000. The Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia, came third, behind Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin.Labour has been accused of alienating voters on its left flank by trying to combat the rise of Reform, particularly on the issue of immigration
Labour must cease taking progressive voters for granted, says Sadiq Khan
The mayor of London has said the Gorton and Denton byelection has exposed a “far-reaching change and fracturing” in UK politics and Labour must ditch its “flawed strategy” of taking liberal progressives for granted.In what appears to be an attack on Keir Starmer, Sadiq Khan challenged the prime minister’s branding of the Green party and its policies as “extreme”, saying many of its supporters shared Labour’s values but were disappointed in the government.Plumber Hannah Spencer overturned a Labour majority of more than 13,000 to become the Green party’s fifth MP. Her party has enjoyed a rise in popularity under its new leader, Zack Polanski, attracting many disaffected former Labour supporters.The Labour candidate, Angeliki Stogia, came third, just behind Reform UK’s Matt Goodwin, in one of the most humiliating byelection results in Labour’s history
What is the strait of Hormuz and why is it crucial for oil supplies?
Oil price expected to surge after Iran strikes and strait of Hormuz closure
Trump’s Iran strikes accelerate the world’s drift from dollar dominance | Heather Stewart
Young fashion fans help UK charity shops thrive on struggling UK high streets
AI-resistant ‘halo’ stocks drive UK and EU markets to record highs
Square Mile strikes back: how the City of London is fighting disinformation about crime