Unionists welcome puberty blocker trial 'pause' amid safety concerns - as Burrows says UUP showed 'national leadership'

Mike Nesbitt stopped Northern Ireland’s participation in the scheme in light of an ongoing legal challenge, just days after defending the trial. But the move was condemned by Alliance and Sinn Fein, with First Minister Michelle O’Neill branding it “disgraceful”.

On Friday evening, the entire scheme was paused after the UK’s medicines regulator warned it should have a minimum age limit of 14 because of the “unquantified risk” of “long-term biological harms”.

Jon Burrows has welcomed the new announcement by health secretary Wes Streeting’s department – saying the UUP health minister had “shown national leadership”.

DUP MP Carla Lockhart – who has backed campaigner Keira Bell’s legal challenge to the trial – has welcomed the pause – but says the government should go further and cancel it entirely. Ms Bell was given the drugs when suffering from gender dysphoria as a teenager. She has described herself as “an unhappy girl who needed help” but was instead “treated like an experiment”.

The Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) will now discuss concerns relating to the wellbeing of children with trial’s sponsor, King’s College London. Recruitment will not start until the issues have been resolved.

UUP leader Jon Burrows told the News Letter the prioritisation of children’s safety is a welcome development.

“I believe our health minister and the Ulster Unionist Party have shown national leadership on this issue. We secured the ban on the sale and supply of puberty blockers in 2024 and we took the lead on pausing NI’s participation in the UK trial, which has caused a national refocus on both the safety issues and the fact that there are conflicting views about the best way to support our young people who experience gender confusion - many of whom have special needs and vulnerabilities and require support, not puberty blockers.

“I have since confirmed the UUP would not support the resumption of NI’s participation in the trial, regardless of the judicial reviews outcome. That stance has been vindicated by the pausing of the UK trial by the regulator.

“It is indeed a matter of fact that my party has been consistently truthful in relation to this sensitive issue and refrained from using polarising language. We haven’t rewritten the history on this issue, nor sought to score political points, rather we have focused on leading politics and protecting our young people”.

Upper Bann DUP MP Carla Lockhart described the decision as “a significant step in the right direction”.

“This is a major development and a clear sign that sustained public pressure has made a difference. I have spoken out repeatedly in Parliament on this issue and have led a Northern Ireland-wide campaign to oppose the inclusion of our children in this trial. Thousands of parents and concerned citizens have signed my petition and contacted my office. Their voices have been heard.

“I am proud to have stood alongside campaigners including Keira Bell and James Esses, whose courage and determination have played a crucial role in challenging this agenda. This pause is down to the bravery of so many individuals who refused to stay silent.

“I want to thank everyone in Upper Bann and across Northern Ireland who stood up to the Government and supported my efforts. Your engagement, your messages and your willingness to speak out have helped bring us to this point.

“A pause is good, but it is not enough. We now need an outright cancellation of this trial. The ethical concerns have not disappeared. Children cannot give informed consent to medical interventions that may permanently alter their physical and psychological development. Safeguarding must come first. Our children deserve protection, not experimentation.

“This is progress, but the job is not yet finished. I will continue fighting in Parliament and beyond until this trial is permanently scrapped. Protecting children must always come first.”