UK Health Secretary Victoria Atkins criticized Labour’s Wes Streeting for his participation in what she described as the “toxic” debate about transgender healthcare. This criticism follows Streeting’s shift in his stance on the statement “all trans women are women,” a position he changed after the publication of the Cass Review. This review noted shortcomings in research on treatments like puberty blockers and hormones for gender-questioning youth within the NHS. In light of these findings, Atkins pressed for enhanced accountability and urged a more informed debate, emphasizing the need for evidence-based approaches to transgender healthcare, particularly for vulnerable populations.

Furthermore, Atkins highlighted issues with online providers prescribing hormones to gender-questioning children, which she condemned as both morally and medically inappropriate. She assured that adult gender clinics, which had previously hesitated to partake in the review, were now fully cooperative.

Simultaneously, Business Secretary Kemi Badenoch raised concerns regarding the handling of gender care issues by public figures and bodies, whom she accused of failing to address the impacts of ideological influences within the NHS. Her strong remarks to The Sunday Times critiqued what she perceived as a prevailing silence fueled by fear of backlash, thereby compromising child safety and integrity in healthcare. Badenoch’s statements have sparked further discourse on the topic, aligning with some Conservative views but also attracting criticism from those who view her commentary as exacerbating divisions on transgender rights.

The discussions from both Atkins and Badenoch align with broader governmental calls for prudence and reform in the management of transgender healthcare following the revelations of the Cass review, spearheaded by Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s cautious stance on the matter. The review has prompted a reevaluation of gender care practices and policies across the UK.