A medical trial into puberty blockers must be stopped “before more damage is done to children”, Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has said.

She has written to Health Secretary Wes Streeting urging him to halt the recently-launched trial, which could see around 226 young people recruited after ethical and regulatory approval was granted.

The trial is being undertaken following a recommendation by the Cass Review into children’s gender care, which concluded that the quality of research claiming to show the benefits of such medication for youngsters with gender dysphoria was “poor”.

Mr Streeting has said the trial will “provide better evidence for how the NHS can support and treat young people with gender incongruence”.

In a written statement to Parliament on Monday, he acknowledged it is

See Full Page