Kemi Badenoch launches scathing attack on ‘cowardice’ of gender ideology by police, NHS and universities, calls for ‘more bravery and less culture of cancellation’ over trans issues

Kemi Badenough today hit out at the ‘cowardice’ displayed by public institutions over gender ideology.

The Equality Secretary launched a furious broadside at the police, NHS and universities, accusing them of failing to act impartially on the issue of trans rights and the treatment of children.

The Cass Review, published last week, said children have been let down by a lack of research and evidence about the use of puberty blockers and hormones.

The report of Dr. Commissioned for the first time in 2020, Hilary Cass concluded that gender care is currently an area of ​​”remarkably weak evidence” and young people have been caught up in a “stormy social discourse”.

Writing in the Sunday Times today Ms Badenough, who is seen as a front-runner to become the next Tory leader, attacked the ‘cowardice of those in positions of influence’ and said it was ‘worse than the raving of the militants’.

She also called for a review of how public bodies have behaved.

“Over the course of three decades, politicians from all parties have outsourced power to so-called independent institutions. They were supposed to take politics out of decision-making, but have become politicized themselves, often with little or no ministerial oversight,’ she wrote.

“They may be independent, but they are no longer impartial. As politicians relinquished control, many institutions were captured by a minority of ideological activists.’

The report of Dr. Commissioned for the first time in 2020, Hilary Cass concluded that gender care is currently an area of ​​”remarkably weak evidence” and young people have been caught up in a “stormy social discourse”.

She added: ‘The core of many of the audit’s recommendations is the institutions’ lack of self-regulation.

‘Ministers have intervened again and again, but it is time for institutional leaders to step up and regain impartiality. That is also time for an in-depth review of decision-making across the public sector. How is it that senior leaders ignore the law and allow groups like Stonewall to make up what it should be?’

It is the latest outburst from a senior Tory minister after Health Secretary Victoria Atkins claimed last week that Labor spent years ‘trying to silence’ anyone who expressed fears about trans issues.

Atkins singled out his opposition colleague Wes Streeting for criticism, accusing his party of fueling an “intimidation”.

She urged Mr. Streeting, who worked for the LGBT rights group Stonewall, to apologize for comments he has previously endorsed that “trans women are women”.

Her intervention came as the Labor frontbencher admitted a major review published this week had made him realize “there are lots of complexities”.

Hilary Cass’s review of NHS England’s gender identity services concluded that trans children had been put on the path to irreversible change based on “remarkably weak evidence”.

The report prompted NHS England to announce a ‘Cass part two’ review of adult sexuality services.

Atkins said Labor had tried to tone down its rhetoric of the past decade by aligning with Dr. Cass’s final recommendations.

After Dr. Cass’s report said the “toxicity of the debate is extraordinary”, finding that six NHS adult sex services had effectively blocked the review’s research.

In a letter to NHS England’s chief executive, Atkins said there could be ‘no further delay’ in understanding the experience of 9,000 young patients from the now-closed gender service at the Tavistock Trust in London.

The adult gender dysphoria clinics to which Tavistock patients moved refused to take part in a study into the results of the treatment, which Ms Atkins described as “disgraceful”.

NHS England has written to trusts demanding the data be handed over, and it has instructed that appointments for under-18s be stopped.