WES STREETING has refused to intervene in an NHS puberty blocker trial despite concerns about childrenâs safety.
The drugs were banned last year in the wake of the independent Cass Review, which found no evidence to support their use and warned they may also disrupt brain development.
But an NHS trial to examine the evidence around their use in children is awaiting the green light from the ethics regulator, which controversially approved a pilot into the drugs in 2011 but failed to ensure the results were shared.
Some 6,000 children are on the national gender clinic waiting list and could be eligible to receive the drugs if their clinical team and parents agree.
AND
SIR KEIR STARMERâS plans to reset relations with the European Union risk dealing a ÂŁ1âŻbillion blow to farmers, senior Tories have warned.
The Prime Minister has been urged not to throw British growers âunder the busâ by agreeing to adopt overly restrictive EU red tape. Brussels is demanding the UK agrees to copy its agricultural rules in return for a deal that would reduce checks on food exports. But agreeing to the terms risks killing off a booming UK industry centred on developing new drought and pest-resistant crops, as a world leader in research on gene-edited fruit and vegetables.
The development, which is already worth ÂŁ1âŻbillion a year to the economy and has boosted harvests by 1 per cent, is only possible because of Brexit. Gene-edited crops are subject to a de facto ban in the EU, where they are subject to such stringent red tape that they are impossible to grow at scale. Britain would have to revert to effectively banning them if it were to sign up to mirroring Europeâs rules on agriculture.
Jerome Mayhew, the shadow business minister, said: âAttempts to get closer to the EU risk throwing our farmers and scientific communities under the bus ... The Labour-EU love-in must draw the line at watering down UK progress on precision breeding.â
A Defra spokesman said: âThis Government recognises that food security is national security. Thatâs why we have laid legislation to enact the Precision Breeding Act for plants [to ensure] our agriculture sector will be at the forefront of innovation across the world.â
(both from articles in the Sunday Telegraph today which I find concern, now Iâve switched my allegiance back to Labour).
What do other Labour voters think about these two issues?
Kandinsky
JudyBloom
Agree 100%.
Reform still get my vote.
Amazing how quickly some people turn their backs.
All parties suffer set backs. Labour have spent many a year in the political wilderness.
same here
labour had 14 years to plan but came into power pleading ignorance
I wholeheartedly agree with your last sentence karmalady.
Barleyfields
I wholeheartedly agree with your last sentence karmalady.
đđ»đđ»
Them and their black hole! They did everything wrong at the outset of getting into power.
We can only hope for improvement on the domestic issues, I think RR was a very bad choice for Chancellor.
A dreadful choice, but I truly donât know what talent Starmer has available to him. If itâs there, itâs well hidden.
nanna8
Wyllow3
nanna8
Iâm wondering where all those Reform supporters will go now. There were reasons for their support, it wasnât just a whim on the part of their supporters and I am certain they werenât all right wing extremists, either, despite what Starmer would like people to believe.
Where has Starmer said that all Reform supporters were right wing extremists nanna ? I cant find a reference, look forward to one.
Presumably you use google ? It is everywhere. I am not in the UK but still hear that all the time. There is a Utube video plus lots of other references. He has a problem with labelling people he doesnât agree with. But you know that.
Is this the YouTube video you mean nanna8?
Starmer doesn't say Reform voters are right wing extremists.
He does condemn dangerous right wing politics and the politicians who use populism to gain traction but who actually, when they have the opportunity, vote against the best interests of the population.
www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GIiAayyYRA
Repeat misinformation often enough and it becomes the truth, especially when it confirms existing bias beliefs
The issue if cousin marriage is obviously a challenge. My view is working with the community to improve knowledge is slow but more likely to effect change than a ban .
Like other posters, I have direct work experience of Muslim families of largely Pakistani heritage where cousin marriages led to children born with disability
This Guardian article from January Iam
(when the bill was first introduced)
looks at "Best ways" ahead and points out how a ban would substantial problems with bans as regards enforcement and ways where its simply not helpful, even counter productive and recommends education and other approaches for what is, after all, a declining trend.
www.theguardian.com/law/2025/jan/17/tory-bill-to-ban-marriage-between-cousins-is-damaging-and-unenforceable
(sorry my grammar got a bit mixed up there - should read
"looks at "Best ways" ahead and points out how a ban would bring substantial problems as regards enforcement, and ways where its simply not helpful, even counter productive:
and recommends education and other approaches for what is, after all, a declining trend
A thumbs up emoticon to the Guardian article
The anti Muslim rhetoric wonât positively influence them against Cousin marriage, education more effective
Iam64
A thumbs up emoticon to the Guardian article
The anti Muslim rhetoric wonât positively influence them against Cousin marriage, education more effective
Theyâve had decades of education and they still donât get it!
Thats not overall true, as numbers are declining and it's due to new generations getting education and changing the patterns of the past, there is no reason or evidence to think this will not continue.
Better to work on improving education further not create the situations described so well in the Guardian article that could result from a ban.
Cousin marriage led to my daughterâs father in law going blind, together with his brother. A tragic and avoidable consequence. They were not Muslims. Educate,educate, educate is the answer. Show them the picture in stark terms.
Education is slowly reducing the culture of cousin marriage. It used to happen in Christian Europe to ensure property remained in families, same as with Muslim communities.
Are you supporting a legal ban Primrose? I would have shared the view but working with health/education/local community plus the research persuaded me otherwise
Another factor coming in here: many Asian families are very ambitious for their children, and this includes substantial numbers becoming doctors (higher than national average) just checked the stats, a high % of doctors in training.
Give it time, give it educational resources, better than creating a situation where hostility and division is created.
Iam64
A thumbs up emoticon to the Guardian article
The anti Muslim rhetoric wonât positively influence them against Cousin marriage, education more effective
What anti Muslim rhetoric? If anyone, of any colour or religion wants to marry their first cousin it should be an illegal act.No ifs or buts for âculturalâ reasons and that message could be made loud and clear to all.Religious officials should do their level best to determine that the two people due to marry are not first cousins.If it then comes to light that the two are first cousins and have lied then a huge fine imposed ( hitting most people where it hurts most).Youâre not telling me that this cousin thing would continue long after this.
Most have lived in this country long enough to know that we donât do this anymore and havenât done since it was realised how it affected children of those marriages.
The laws of the land should apply to everyone.
Wyllow3
Another factor coming in here: many Asian families are very ambitious for their children, and this includes substantial numbers becoming doctors (higher than national average) just checked the stats, a high % of doctors in training.
Give it time, give it educational resources, better than creating a situation where hostility and division is created.
Then they should know better not to marry their first cousins!
Thereâs been too much pussyfooting around ethnic minorities as it is.
Too right Oreo.
This thread appears to have gone off topic...
It's legal to marry your cousin. I know a white Christian British couple who are first cousins. One grew up overseas, father's job, and they met as toddlers and then as adults and fell in love and married.
theworriedwell
It's legal to marry your cousin. I know a white Christian British couple who are first cousins. One grew up overseas, father's job, and they met as toddlers and then as adults and fell in love and married.
Youâre correct in that it isnât illegal in the UK, there is no law against it but when people realised the dangers to possible children then they stopped doing it.
IMO we do now need it to be made an illegal act as so many now living here persist in doing it.
Another concern about Labour - just heard that they have decided not to have a full public enquiry into the killing of the conservative MP, Sir David Amess. His family are dreadfully upset and are asking them to reconsider.
Oreo
Wyllow3
Another factor coming in here: many Asian families are very ambitious for their children, and this includes substantial numbers becoming doctors (higher than national average) just checked the stats, a high % of doctors in training.
Give it time, give it educational resources, better than creating a situation where hostility and division is created.Then they should know better not to marry their first cousins!
You're missing the point I was trying to make, which is that these younger generations are the very people making changes, and in a position to influence others, and those going into medical situations, all the more so.
It's not necessary to immediately bring in harsh and controversial laws since numbers are going down.
Year on year there are less cousin marriages.
Over 40's women from all backgrounds have the same rate of problem births as cousin marriages, are we going to ban them too?
Or perhaps add in the numbers of people with certain genetic conditions being forbidden to have children? of course we dont. We work with, to improve outcomes. Its the British way.
There is genetic testing available for all people at risk whatever the background.
I think it's worth asking "why now?"
This issue has not only been around and known for a very long time, when numbers were much higher.
We have had many previous governments which have not considered banning first cousin marriages.
It's suggested that the reason the Labour Party is not going to support the bill is because of the vote from the Muslim population, but this didn't apply to 14 years of Conservative government, who did not propose a ban.
I think it is a covert attack on part of our population by singling them out and "blaming", when that very population is in the process of change. Its better to work with people than alienate, accuse, and stir up dissent.
Yet over 40's births are increasing. We accept this and work with it. We don't impose sudden draconian laws.
Labour support for Israel hasnât diminished in response to its loss of many Muslim voters.
The opposition to the proposal to make cousin marriage illegal isnât based on fear of losing the Muslim vote, itâs based on research about the most effective approach
As Wyllow says the Born in Bradford project appears to have influenced young Muslims by education
I think it is deep racism to support something that we would not accept for our own children. It again falls into the whole luxury belief thing. You are putting women in particular into a life that is almost impossible.
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