← Back to House of Commons Debates
Puberty Suppressants Trial 2025-12-17
17 December 2025
Lead MP
Caroline Johnson
Debate Type
Urgent Question
Tags
No tags
Other Contributors: 28
At a Glance
Caroline Johnson raised concerns about puberty suppressants trial 2025-12-17 in the House of Commons. A government minister responded. Other MPs also contributed.
How the Debate Unfolded
MPs spoke in turn to share their views and ask questions. Here's what each person said:
Lead Contributor
Opened the debate
Will the Minister confirm the pathways puberty blockers trial will continue, and if so why? The urgency lies in concerns about the safety of physically healthy children involved in the trial. Dr Johnson seeks clarity on the justification for the trial given previous criticism and lack of data.
Caroline Johnson
Con
Sleaford and North Hykeham
Question
Why is the Government funding experiments with puberty blockers on physically healthy children? What steps is he taking to secure data from Tavistock for analysis? Is he concerned about bias in the trial design?
Minister reply
The trial follows Cass review recommendations. Steps are being taken to complete the data linkage study, which will provide different evidence than this clinical trial. Concerns about bias are noted but robust clinical oversight is ensured.
Danny Beales
Lab
Uxbridge and South Ruislip
Question
Why should a clinical trial be conducted when the Conservatives supported the Cass review's recommendations? In the absence of a trial, what access will young people have to these drugs?
Minister reply
The trial is necessary as it was recommended by Dr Cass. It ensures proper oversight and safety for vulnerable children. Without this trial, unregulated private provision may become more prevalent.
Helen Morgan
LD
North Shropshire
Question
Given that the trial numbers will be small and the waiting list for talking therapies is very long, how will the Government increase access to NHS talking therapies?
Minister reply
The Government is undertaking wider research, including high-quality international evidence. We are increasing capacity in children and young people’s gender services, with new services opening across England. These measures aim to reduce waiting times and improve patient care.
Preet Kaur Gill
Lab/Co-op
Birmingham Edgbaston
Question
Will the Secretary of State meet experts and review the age limit for participation in the trial, given concerns about involving children as young as 10?
Minister reply
The Secretary of State is open to receiving representations from clinicians and experts. We will consider all evidence and insights provided by those involved in the care of transgender youth.
Joe Robertson
Con
Isle of Wight East
Question
What criteria must be met for the Secretary of State to intervene and stop these tests involving puberty blockers?
Minister reply
The Government takes a rigorous evidence-based approach. Decisions are made considering expert advice, ethical standards, and patient safety. The trial has been set up with high-quality clinical oversight.
Rachel Taylor
Lab
North Warwickshire and Bedworth
Question
Does the Secretary of State agree that King’s College expertise will ensure robust evidence and support the wellbeing of participants?
Minister reply
The trial is set up with high standards of safety and ethical oversight. We engage with clinicians to ensure the best possible care for transgender youth, considering their welfare and mental health.
Tom Tugendhat
Con
Tonbridge
Question
What provisions are in place to ensure that children who may later wish to bring legal action against the Department have redress?
Minister reply
Participants can choose to stop taking puberty-suppressing hormones at any time without reason. Comprehensive information on risks and options is provided, including fertility consultations. Young people must demonstrate full understanding before joining the trial.
Edinburgh West
Question
What can the Minister tell us to reassure people that they will be safe, especially those who are concerned about long-term funding and availability of medications?
Minister reply
I recognise when I took the decision, within days of coming into this office, was received by trans people in particular, and the wider LGBT+ community, as a negative decision that detrimentally impacted their rights and identity. However, with respect to all the people I have met, no amount of political pressure should move me away from the clinical advice and expert opinion.
Tom Hayes
Lab
Bournemouth East
Question
Can the Secretary of State speak directly to trans people who will be watching this debate, particularly at Christmas time when they may be struggling with estrangement from family?
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for that question. I recognise that the decision I took was received as a negative one and has caused distress. However, it is an uncomfortable but necessary decision based on clinical advice.
Bernard Jenkin
Con
Harwich and North Essex
Question
How can we make decisions based on clinical evidence when there is no single opinion among clinicians? Is the Secretary of State confident that his judgment is correct?
Minister reply
I thank the right hon. Gentleman for his question and for how he puts his criticism, too. As I said earlier, and for the avoidance of doubt, I know what my responsibilities are. I understand the decisions that I take in this office and that I am accountable for those decisions. I am following clinical advice; I think that is the right thing to do in this area.
Jacob Collier
Lab
Burton and Uttoxeter
Question
What reassurances can the Secretary of State give my trans constituents and the families who support them, particularly regarding access to healthcare?
Minister reply
I am grateful to my hon. Friend for his question. The reassurance that we can provide trans people in our country is that we are committed to making sure that they have access to the highest quality, evidence-based healthcare. That does not just apply in the case of children and young people; I also hope to report to the House before the Christmas recess the work undertaken in the Levy review into adult services.
Kirsty Blackman
SNP
Aberdeen North
Question
How will he ensure that appropriate support is given to those young people who do not get to be part of the trial, when they have been hoping that it will change their lives?
Minister reply
I am grateful to the hon. Member for the way that she asks her question. The reassurance that I can offer is that the study will look at the holistic care that this group of children and young people receives, and ensure that wider evidence-led therapeutic support, including mental health support, is available, so that regardless of whether a young person receives puberty blockers, they will certainly receive that wider range of support.
Emily Darlington
Lab
Milton Keynes Central
Question
Will the trial look at data from the use of puberty blockers for other conditions and what are we doing to shorten waiting times for trans children?
Minister reply
We will ensure that young people get good access to wider evidence-led support. I have had to wrestle with the fact that some trans people enter adulthood without ever receiving any sort of healthcare, and I have been heavily criticised by those people in particular for some of the decisions that I have taken. We are working to reduce waiting times.
Julian Lewis
Con
New Forest East
Question
Does the data exist from all the people who had puberty blockers under the old regime, and is a systematic survey possible?
Minister reply
The right hon. Member is right that we need that data linkage study. That will happen, but it will not produce the same evidence base as a clinical trial.
Sarah Pochin
Reform
Runcorn and Helsby
Question
A survey published today by Transgender Trend shows overwhelming public support for non-intrusive medical approaches for under-16s with gender dysmorphia. The public want this state-sponsored child abuse stopped, so will the Secretary of State represent the will of the people, stop the trial and instead introduce statutory legislation to access the evidence data from the 2,000 children and young people already given puberty blockers through the Tavistock scandal?
Minister reply
I take the hon. Member’s question in three parts: first, the opinion polling that she mentions shows people are kind; secondly, I do not dismiss the opinion polling against this trial; thirdly, the reason I am doing this is to think carefully about what is in the best interests of vulnerable children and young people by building an evidence base for high-quality healthcare.
Lizzi Collinge
Lab
Morecambe and Lunesdale
Question
Some of the political debate around this subject has saddened me, not least the way that trans people’s reality and experience has been denied. Will the Secretary of State confirm that the trial is a real attempt to get a proper evidence base for treatment for young people that is really needed?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is correct that the study aims to build an evidence base so we can provide high-quality, safe healthcare for this vulnerable group of children and young people.
Aphra Brandreth
Con
Chester South and Eddisbury
Question
Children struggling with gender dysphoria and their families are trying to find their way through very difficult and often distressing times. We should be helping them, not experimenting on them. Should we not be following the example of other European countries, such as Denmark and Finland, which have shifted their policies towards counselling rather than medical interventions?
Minister reply
As part of this study, we are focusing on therapeutic support and implementing the Cass review recommendation for a trial to build an evidence base for safe healthcare.
John Slinger
Lab
Rugby
Question
I have immense respect for my right hon. Friend, in particular for his commitment to equal access to healthcare. Will he say a little more about the mental health support available for children and young people involved in the trial, those who will not be able to be in the trial, those who are currently receiving puberty blockers, and those for whom the ban is causing immense stress or worse?
Minister reply
Regardless of whether people are receiving this medication or not, we need to ensure they receive therapeutic support to have healthy, happy childhoods without distress or harm.
Carla Denyer
Green
Bristol Central
Question
For young people questioning their gender, the pathways trial is currently the only route by which they can receive puberty blockers. Does the Secretary of State agree that the responsible thing for the Government to do is not simply to ignore the plight of such young people, but to conduct the clinical trial to obtain robust evidence needed to direct policy going forward?
Minister reply
My hon. Friend is right; given I work with a former Crown prosecutor, I could not disagree with her on evidence.
Iqbal Mohamed
Ind
Dewsbury and Batley
Question
The trial compares the timing of treatment initiation but there is no arm that provides psychotherapy as a treatment option without puberty blockers, and there is no arm to assess children who do not receive any options. Will the Secretary of State consider ensuring all various arms and channels are tested for a complete picture?
Minister reply
I thank the hon. Member for his question; we need to judge these things on risk. The trial design includes a control group, close oversight of development impacts, but it is important to note that a placebo would not be appropriate in this case.
Steve Yemm
Lab
Mansfield
Question
From his previous answers, it is clear that he has seen public opinion. Is the Secretary of State prepared to call an independent clinical review given the high degree of public concern about the trial?
Minister reply
I am very happy to receive further clinical representations on this issue and to hear from experts; I hope the public will understand why, on this particular issue, I am not simply led by opinion polling but follow clinical advice and evidence.
Carla Lockhart
DUP
Upper Bann
Question
It is child abuse to give children puberty blockers. This trial will take confused little minds and vulnerable children and place them on a medical pathway with profound, life-altering consequences. How can this Government justify experimenting on children, rather than prioritising safeguarding, evidence and psychological support?
Minister reply
The hon. Lady offers a political opinion; by that logic, we would not have any medicine for children or young people and never undertake clinical trials, which is objectively not sensible.
Alex Sobel
Lab/Co-op
Leeds Central and Headingley
Question
It is clear many young people presenting with gender incongruence will not be able to access the trial for various reasons. I am concerned about the mental health of those who cannot access it. What additional support can the Secretary of State provide?
Minister reply
The study includes research on wider therapeutic and mental health support, and we are rolling out more clinics and services across the country.
Samantha Niblett
Lab
South Derbyshire
Question
Trans people do not wake up at 18 suddenly trans; it starts before then. When we talk about protecting children, it means protecting trans children so that they can transition into adulthood knowing that they had parents and doctors who advocated for their needs. But this trial is not a prison sentence, so will the Secretary of State talk about whether people are entitled to withdraw from it if they change their mind?
Minister reply
They certainly can, and if they withdraw, they will still get the wider therapeutic support they deserve.
Jonathan Hinder
Lab
Pendle and Clitheroe
Question
We are talking here about physically healthy primary school-age children being injected with drugs to stop them growing up. There is nothing medically wrong with these children; what they need is love, support and compassion to help them to accept their healthy bodies. They are perfect just the way they are.
Minister reply
I wish I had certainty on this issue, and in some ways I envy my hon. Friend for his certainty. Having occasionally found myself to be a lonely voice in my party when sat on the Opposition Benches, I respect the fact that it is not easy to be a minority, dissenting voice, especially when one feels so strongly about an issue. I respect my hon. Friend’s position, even though I disagree with it—I do think this trial is the right thing to do.
Scott Arthur
Lab
Edinburgh South West
Question
I welcome the fact that the trial will look at some of the side effects of puberty blockers, but will it also consider the impact of not taking puberty blockers in some cases? Will the Secretary of State also tell us how the House will be kept up to date on the trial as it progresses?
Minister reply
I can certainly promise my hon. Friend that we will keep the House regularly updated. The risks he has described have weighed heavily on my conscience when putting in place a permanent ban on puberty blockers; I have understood the risk involved, and the vulnerability of this particular group of children and young people.
Josh Newbury
Lab
Cannock Chase
Question
The Conservative party welcomed the Cass review on its publication, including its clear recommendation that this trial take place. Eight years ago, the then leader of the Conservative party supported self-ID and declared that trans women are women; now, we have dog-whistle statements such as, “If we leave these children alone, many will get over it,” which the shadow Minister said just yesterday in Westminster Hall. Does the Secretary of State agree that a rigorous clinical trial is the only way we will get the impartial evidence he needs to make informed decisions on gender-affirming care for trans young people?
Minister reply
I absolutely agree with my hon. Friend that we need a strong evidence base, that we need to conduct these conversations with great care, consideration and compassion, and that we need to recognise the vulnerability of this particular group of children and young people, and the fear that so many trans people in our country feel about whether this is a country that accepts and respects them.
Government Response
Government Response
I acknowledge the sensitivities around this issue and follow expert clinical advice to take an evidence-led approach. The Cass review found unprofessionalism and a lack of oversight, leading to a permanent ban on puberty blockers. However, it recommended a thorough study including a clinical trial for physical, social, and emotional wellbeing. This trial is led by King’s College London with rigorous ethical approval, focusing on children's health and safety. There are strict eligibility criteria and parental consent required.
▸
Assessment & feedback
Summary accuracy
About House of Commons Debates
House of Commons debates take place in the main chamber of the House of Commons. These debates cover a wide range of topics including government policy, legislation, and current affairs. MPs from all parties can participate, question ministers, and hold the government accountable for its decisions.