18th June 2025: Dr Sarah Benn has been suspended for a further 12 months following a second tribunal and tribunal review

Alice - June 18, 2025June 19, 2025

The Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service has today imposed a 12 months suspension on Dr Sarah Benn following a second tribunal hearing related to protest and a review of her initial suspension for climate protest, which were both heard last week. They have also ordered yet another tribunal review in 12 months time.

Dr Benn became the first doctor to be suspended from the medical register in April, 2024, following her conviction and imprisonment for breaking a private injunction forbidding any kind of peaceful protest outside an oil terminal (1, 2, 3), an infringement for which she had already been penalised before the GMC saw fit to punish her again for her actions.Throughout her initial hearing and during this review Dr Benn emphasised the recognised scientific imperative for urgent climate action to protect public health and the evidence to support the effectiveness of civil disobedience. She described how the GMC’s insistence on describing the climate crisis as her “sincere belief” and a “deeply held conviction” made her feel “dismissed” because the climate emergency is a health emergency based on scientific fact, not on her opinions. Dr Benn further explained that she is entirely motivated by her conscience and her “desperation to do something about this urgent situation”, and feels compelled by her duty to protect public health to respond in any way which might force the narrative, saying:

‘When an opportunity arises which I think has a chance of forcing the narrative, then I will be there … Even if it involves breaking the law by breaching an injunction…If this stance is seen as a lack of insight on my part, then so be it. I see it as a lack of insight on the part of those who make such judgements’

What is the duty of a doctor?

In her submission to the medical tribunal panel Dr. Benn drew attention to the Duties of a Doctor as described in the Good Medical Practice guidelines, pointing out that fundamental duties such as ensuring patient safety can potentially fall into conflict with guidance recommending that doctors act within the law.

For example, Dr Benn explained that at the time of her actions, Good Medical Practice guidelines stated that:

“ patients must be able to trust doctors with their life and health and a doctor must act promptly if they think patient safety may be seriously compromised”

Consistent with this guidance, Dr Benn told the tribunal that:

“Patient safety is my highest consideration as enshrined in Good Medical Practice” adding “Public confidence in the profession and its reputation can only be maintained and enhanced if doctors act from a place of integrity. This must be led by evidence based practice, not personal or politically held beliefs.”.

As she was acting in good faith and based on the evidence, not on personal or political beliefs, to protect patients from the known existential health threat posed by the climate and ecological emergency, she argued her actions do “…not constitute impairment of my fitness to practice”.

Open Letter to General Medical Council criticises suspension of two doctors for engagement in climate activism

GMC fail to provide evidence of their claim that Dr Benn’s actions undermine public confidence in the profession

In addition to her moral defence, Dr Benn presented evidence, in the form of a public petition (4) and letters of support (5), of the public’s support of her activism. She argued that the GMC’s own research indicated that; “The public does not automatically expect the GMC to have involvement where a doctor commits a criminal offence outside of the workplace’” and that the most important thing appears to be whether the doctor harmed anyone, which she didn’t (6). She argued therefore that the GMC has not proven the assertion, or provided any robust evidence on which her suspension is based, namely that her actions would undermine the confidence of the public in the medical profession.

Entrenched position of General Medical Council

Despite the compelling evidence provided by Dr. Benn, the General Medical Council position remains that the context and motivation for her actions (namely irretrievable climate breakdown) are irrelevant to the case, and that Dr Benn’s action should be seen as serial criminality and a disregard for the law. They further argued that her actions in breach of the law serve as de facto evidence of misconduct which would impact the confidence of the public in the profession, regardless of its motivation and context.

In adopting this stance, the GMC have again; 1) Disregarded the narrowing political and legal space for nonviolent protest in the UK; 2) Failed to evidence their assertion that climate activism in breach of the law undermines the public’s trust in the profession; and 3) Failed to show any moral or ethical leadership on the most important health threat to ever face humanity. (7, 8, 9).

Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service not fit for purpose

Dr Benn’s, and the cases of other suspended climate activist doctors, demonstrate that the MPTS process is unfit to address questions of morality and ethics, as not only has the context of, and motivation for, their actions been ignored, but the tribunal also expects the doctor under review to show insight and remediation for their behaviour (10). Where actions have clearly been taken, not only at personal cost, but based on evidence, and with the clear motivation to protect public health, such an expectation is not only inappropriate but actively abhorrent.

By analogy, if the state was to again criminalise homosexuality, doctors found guilty in law would not only be disciplined by the GMC but would be expected to show insight into their “crime” and remediation for it. Given the GMCs recent apology for disciplining doctors under historic homophobic legislation (11), and the current trajectory of both our politics and our climate, the GMCs lack of ethical and moral independence is of grave concern.

Doctors protest outside the London GMC offices demanding climate leadership and an end to the persecution of climate whistleblowers

In response to the tribunal’s ruling Dr Benn said:

“By choosing to suspend me again, the MPT has chosen, again, to kick the can down the road for someone else to deal with in 12 months’ time. When the climate emergency has likely worsened even further. I am thoroughly weary of this process which has been going on for years and I am not minded to engage any further with it.

This is not about me. This is about yet another missed opportunity for medical institutions to show some leadership in addressing the urgency of emergency action on climate breakdown.

It’s just not enough to have declared an emergency, if one is serious about protecting life and health. Subsequent action should look like it’s an emergency, not a slight potential interference with business as usual that can be tackled at leisure.

As cascading risks increase with temperature, medical supply chains and infrastructure will collapse, delivering any kind of care will become impossible. Public trust in doctors and our ability to protect patients and uphold our reputation will be non-existent.

Our planet is dying, the clinical signs are right there and being documented in the notes, but not being acted upon. If the Earth is a patient, depending on timely medical intervention, right now they’ve got acute sepsis, are going downhill fast, but are being given a Paracetamol and being told that the doctor will check up on them tomorrow morning. The medical establishment could and should do better”.

Read Dr Benn’s full submission to the MPTS delivered prior to their decision on sanctioning – https://healthforxr.com/dr-sarah-benns-submission-to-the-medical-practitioners-tribunal-today-prior-to-their-decision-on-what-sanction-to-impose-on-her/

References:

Additional Information:

Open letter to the Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood MP asking for an urgent review of anti-protest legislation and the disproportionate sentencing of non-violent protestors: https://healthforxr.com/open-letter-to-the-justice-secretary-shabana-mahmood-mp-asking-for-an-urgent-review-of-anti-protest-legislation-and-the-disproportionate-sentencing-of-non-violent-protestors/

3rd & 4th Dec 2024: HXR members gather outside GMC HQ during Dr Sarah Benn’s BMA-funded appeal: https://healthforxr.com/3rd-dec-2024-doctors-gather-outside-gmc-hq-as-dr-sarah-benn-appeals-her-suspension-for-climate-activism/

27th Oct 2024: Health workers and patients gather to dispel the GMC’s pretence that climate action taken by doctors undermines public trust: https://healthforxr.com/health-workers-and-patients-gather-to-dispel-the-gmcs-pretence-that-climate-action-taken-by-doctors-undermines-public-trust/

18th August 2024: HXR statement in response to the GMC’s suspension of Dr Diana Warner for climate protest and its recent protest guidance: https://healthforxr.com/18th-august-2024-hxr-statement-in-response-to-the-gmcs-suspension-of-dr-diana-warner-for-climate-protest-and-protest-guidance/

Press release: HXR member Diana Warner found guilty by GMC of professional misconduct for climate protest: https://healthforxr.com/press-release-hxr-member-diana-warner-found-guilty-by-gmc-for-climate-protest/

18th April 2024: HXR doctors protest over General Medical Council’s climate inaction: https://healthforxr.com/18th-april-2024-hxr-doctors-protest-over-general-medical-councils-climate-inaction/

2nd Dec 2024: HXR members risk arrest in solidarity with Sarah Benn: https://healthforxr.com/dec-2nd-2024-hxr-members-risk-arrest-in-solidarity-with-sarah-benn/