Puberty Blockers

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Tuesday 23rd June 2026 Commons Chamber

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

Everyone should have the right of access to high-quality, evidence-based healthcare, whatever their age. At the heart of this debate are young people experiencing profound gender-related distress, and the families who support them. Too often they have found themselves caught in the middle of a political argument while facing long waits, uncertainty, and a lack of clear treatment options. Every young person deserves compassionate, evidence-based care, and that includes transgender young people and children with gender incongruence.

The irony of the Opposition motion is that it would stop the very research that many Members have argued is necessary before decisions about treatment can be made. If we are serious about evidence-based medicine, we must also be serious about gathering evidence. The Pathways trial follows a recommendation made by Baroness Cass in her independent review, a recommendation that had enjoyed cross-party support when it was published. Since then the trial has undergone extensive scrutiny by researchers, ethics committees, independent reviewers and regulators. Following further modifications and additional safeguards, it has been approved by both the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency and the Health Research Authority. If Members believe that more evidence is needed, surely they should support a process that is designed to produce that evidence.

Much has been said about risk, and of course risk must be taken seriously, but the answer to uncertainty cannot simply be to refuse to learn more. The answer is careful, closely monitored research with robust protections. Participants must have experienced gender incongruence for at least two years, must already be receiving NHS gender services, must have undergone psychosocial support, and must be assessed as being physically and mentally stable. Both the young people and their parents must consent, and every participant must be approved by clinicians and a national multidisciplinary team. This is not an uncontrolled experiment; it is a tightly regulated clinical trial operating under some of the highest standards of oversight that are available in modern medicine.

The hon. Member for Reigate (Rebecca Paul) made a valid point about the need to ensure that children who realise that they are gay do not decide that they are transgender, and that we do not feel that we should push more gay people back into the closet, as they are feeling very much under threat at present. However, there is another risk that we must discuss, and that is inaction. For two years, puberty blockers have effectively been unavailable outside research settings. Young people and their families have been told repeatedly that more evidence is needed, and now, when a trial designed to generate that evidence is ready to proceed, some seek to stop it. What message does that send?

Behind every statistic is a family. Parents of transgender children and children with gender incongruence often speak of the distress of watching their child struggle and feeling powerless to help. They see anxiety, fear and growing distress as their child experiences physical changes that can feel deeply uncomfortable and alienating. These families are not political talking points; they are looking for support, answers and hope. For many transgender young people, puberty itself can be a source of profound distress. We should not pretend that doing nothing is a neutral act, because delays, uncertainty and the absence of treatment options have consequences too. Puberty blockers have generally been understood as a reversible intervention intended to pause puberty and provide time for further assessment and support, and the purpose of this trial is to strengthen our understanding of both the benefits and the risks. If opponents argue that more evidence is needed, blocking the research that would provide that evidence is a contradiction that this House should reject.

I also want to address something that often sits beneath debates such as this. If you come to this debate from the position that transgender people do not exist or that it is a fad, you are mistaken. Transgender people have always existed, and they deserve the same dignity, compassion and evidence-based healthcare as anyone else. If, as I believe we all do, we come to the debate motivated by concern for children’s safety and wellbeing, how can we say that we are protecting children while being comfortable with them living in fear of the changes that puberty may bring? How can we say that we are acting in their best interests when some young people are terrified of growing into an adult body that does not align with who they understand themselves to be, while parents watch helplessly from the sideline? If our goal is to truly safeguard children, we should support careful research, rigorous oversight and evidence-based medicine. We should seek answers, not prevent them. We should reduce uncertainty, not prolong it. That is why this trial should proceed.

Women’s Health Strategy

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Thursday 16th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Karin Smyth]

My hon. Friend again raises younger women’s voices; we want to continue to hear from them. Part of this strategy is about working with the Department for Education to ensure that girls—and indeed boys—are made more aware of some of these issues. The women’s voices partnership—my apologies for not quite being able to remember its name earlier—will bring women together, including younger women and girls. If her constituent is keen to be one of those advocates, we would welcome that. We are talking about having new patient-reported experience measures and patient-reported outcome measures; we will develop those pathways over the years. Through that, women will have clear ways to navigate the system, and to put their voices forward.

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

I thank the Ministers for this renewed women’s health strategy for England. Two of my constituents in particular—Evie Solomon, who founded HER Circle, and Shelly Lynn—will welcome the focus on medical misogyny, and they will be watching to make sure that we deliver. It was great to hear that there were influencers at the launch of the strategy yesterday. I met one of them, Milly Evans, who is a sex educator. Is there space in the women’s health strategy and the men’s health strategy for the provision of lifelong sex education, so that we have consistent, relevant and appropriate sex education for everyone who needs it? Frankly, women who have health issues still want a fulfilling and happy sex life.

[Karin Smyth]

As I said, part of this strategy is about educating girls and boys on health and bringing together all parts of education. We are keen to work in new ways with new media, and with influencers who are positive about women and women’s health, and we will continue to do so.

NHS Federated Data Platform

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Thursday 16th April 2026 Westminster Hall

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

It is an honour to serve under your chairship, Dame Siobhain. I am grateful for the opportunity to raise this issue, because my constituents in South Derbyshire, like millions of NHS patients across the country, deserve honest answers about who holds their most private data, and why.

The federated data platform is, in principle, exactly the kind of innovation that can help to transform our NHS: it could connect fragmented data across trusts, reduce discharge delays and cut cancer diagnosis times. Those are goals that every Member of this House can support. The question before us today is not whether we want a modern, data-driven NHS—we do—but whether Palantir is the right company to deliver that.

The £330 million contract was awarded to Palantir to deliver the FDP, but its co-founder, Peter Thiel, has been openly hostile to the very idea of the NHS. Should a company of that character be trusted as a custodian of the intimate health records of tens of millions of British citizens? I do not dismiss the technology itself—the platform is genuinely impressive—but we cannot separate a company from its leadership. The Health Secretary himself has acknowledged that the “political views and…outlook” of Palantir’s founders and bosses are

“well off to the right”

of even the official Opposition—or the party that likes to think of itself as the official Opposition. When the co-founder of a company holds our NHS in open contempt, and when its chief executive is a prominent ally of an Administration that this House has repeatedly criticised, it is entirely reasonable to ask whether that company should occupy such a sensitive position at the heart of our public health infrastructure. This is not about ideology; it is scrutiny, which is precisely what this House is here to provide.

We also know that when the contract was first published, 417 of its 586 pages were completely blanked out, and it took a legal challenge from the Good Law Project to force the release of a substantially redacted version. That is not the transparency that the public have the right to expect. If we want NHS staff and patients to embrace a digital future, that future cannot be built on a foundation that they do not trust.

Oral Answers to Questions

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Tuesday 14th April 2026 Commons Chamber

[Tom Rutland (East Worthing and Shoreham) (Lab)]

10. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people waiting for NHS treatment.

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

19. What steps his Department is taking to reduce the number of people waiting for NHS treatment.

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

We inherited from the Conservatives an NHS facing the worst crisis in its history, with waiting lists at a record 7.6 million and public satisfaction at record lows. This Labour Government are getting the NHS back on its feet and making it fit for the future. We have delivered record numbers of appointments, tests and surgeries. Since we took office, waiting lists have been down to the lowest level in nearly three and a half years, and we are driving modernisation through our 10-year plan. Lots has been done, but there is so much more to do with a Labour Government.

[Wes Streeting]

I am grateful to my hon. Friend for all the work he is doing, including with our Labour team in Worthing, to improve the health of people across his constituency. I congratulate staff at University Hospitals Sussex on the progress that they have made in bringing waiting lists down. To help them to go further, I am delighted to announce that my hon. Friend’s local community diagnostic centre in Southlands hospital will benefit from a new multimillion-pound MRI scanner to drive down waiting times, including for MSK patients. We are combining investment with modernisation to send crack teams of top clinicians to MSK community services, drive down waiting times and improve outcomes. That is the difference that a Labour Government make.

[Samantha Niblett]

Recently, University Hospitals of Derby and Burton NHS foundation trust took part in the Q4 sprint, which involved out-patient appointments and surgical procedures. The work focused mainly on areas such as gynaecology, trauma and orthopaedics, general surgery, and ear, nose and throat, reflecting where that trust’s waiting lists are longest. We have seen a significant drop in the 18-week position, which apparently is a key marker of overall access to care. At the start of the sprint, around 56% of patients were being treated within 18 weeks; as of last week, that figure had increased to 60.2%. A lot of work has been done, so will the Secretary of State join me and the chief executive officer, Stephen Posey, in thanking the teams involved in helping to deliver that sprint? More importantly, what assurances can he give that this is not just a one-off? We have people in South Derbyshire and across the country who need consistently good and quick care.

Healthcare in Rural Areas

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Wednesday 4th March 2026 Westminster Hall

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

Thank you, Dr Huq—it is a pleasure to serve under your chairship. I am really grateful to the hon. Member for Mid Bedfordshire (Blake Stephenson)—I will call him my hon. Friend; we were in the armed forces parliamentary scheme together—for the opportunity to speak in this important debate on healthcare in rural areas.

In my constituency, we are proud of our strong sense of community, but too many of my constituents face growing barriers when it comes to accessing healthcare. For many residents, the first challenge is distance: GP surgeries are fewer and farther between, community hospitals have been hollowed out, and public transport is limited or unreliable. When appointments are moved online or centralised miles away, what is described as efficiency can feel more like exclusion, and older residents, carers and those without access to a car are too often left struggling.

Rural practices find it harder to attract and retain GPs, nurses and allied health professionals. Smaller patient lists and higher operating costs make practices less financially viable, placing additional strain on already overstretched staff. The result is longer waiting times, fewer appointments and growing frustration for patients who simply want timely care close to home.

Those pressures are compounded by wider inequalities. Rural communities tend to have older populations and higher levels of chronic illness, yet funding formulas do not always reflect the true cost of delivering care across a large, sparsely populated area. It is also worth mentioning that South Derbyshire has a high number of falls, which accounts for a large proportion of emergency hospital admissions for people over 65, and has other negative consequences such as impacting people’s confidence and their sense of independence. Mental health services are also particularly patchy, leaving many people waiting far too long for support, if they can access it at all.

Tracey Thorneloe, one of my constituents in South Derbyshire, experiences debilitating pelvic girdle pain as part of a chronic health condition. While pelvic girdle pain is normally experienced during pregnancy or childbirth, she began experiencing this pain six years ago and has had great difficulty accessing physio. There are no specialist physios for her condition in South Derbyshire, and access to hydrotherapy is very limited.

Wheelchair provision is also an ongoing issue in my constituency. My constituent Amanda Storer has told me of her year-long battle to get a wheelchair for her son Derrick, who has Down’s syndrome. A wheelchair allows him to be more independent and allows Amanda to get out and about more as he grows. We have helped her as much as we can, but we have been struggling too.

All that does not have to be the case; with the right investment and planning, rural healthcare can thrive. We need fairer funding that properly reflects rural need, stronger incentives to recruit and retain healthcare professionals in rural areas, and a renewed commitment to community-based services. Digital healthcare has a role to play, but it must complement, rather than replace, face-to-face provision.

Puberty Suppressants Trial

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Wednesday 17th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Madam Deputy Speaker]

I call Samantha Niblett for a short question.

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

Trans people do not wake up at 18 suddenly trans; it starts before then. When we talk about protecting children, it means protecting trans children so that they can transition into adulthood knowing that they had parents and doctors who advocated for their needs. But this trial is not a prison sentence, so will the Secretary of State talk about whether people are entitled to withdraw from it if they change their mind?

[Wes Streeting]

They certainly can, and if they withdraw, they will still get the wider therapeutic support they deserve.

Budget Resolutions

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Tuesday 2nd December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

I begin by thanking the Chancellor for the incredibly important steps that she has taken in the Budget. Five hundred and ten people in my constituency of South Derbyshire who spent their lives working in the mining industry—people who helped power our nation—will now receive a significant uplift in their BCSSS pension each month. That is life-changing support.

I also welcome the measures that will lift 2,020 children in South Derbyshire out of poverty. That is not an abstract number; those are real families, who will now have a fairer start and a future with more opportunities than struggles. From next April, households will see energy bills fall by £150. At a time when every pound matters, that will make a direct difference to people’s lives. I also thank the Chancellor for maintaining a clear and unwavering focus on fixing our NHS, because the health of our nation is the foundation of our prosperity.

Many of the Budget’s measures will be felt in rural and semi-rural constituencies such as mine, and by farming families, who often feel overlooked. I am grateful for the specific concession that mitigates the impact of changes to inheritance tax for married farming couples. That is a welcome change following 13 months of campaigning by many, including farmers, the National Farmers’ Union and the Labour Rural Research Group, of which I am a proud member.

However, although there is much to commend, I must also be honest: for all the good that this Budget does—and it does a lot—many farmers in my constituency simply cannot see past the broader inheritance tax changes. They remember that Labour promised no such changes before the general election and that our manifesto declared that food is the first line of defence, yet right now this country has just six days’ worth of food supplies. With global tensions rising and instability growing even closer to home in Europe, we should be doing everything possible to support the very people who help keep Britain fed.

Most farmers are not wealthy land barons; they live hand to mouth on tiny and sometimes non-existent profit margins. Many were explicitly advised not to hand over their farms to their children, and they now face enormous and unexpected tax bills. For some, that means selling off land; for others, it means delaying or abandoning plans to diversify—precisely the type of innovation we should be encouraging. I look forward to the forthcoming report by Baroness Batters, and I hope the Government take it seriously, because we must acknowledge a difficult truth: we have lost the trust of our farmers and they deserve, now more than ever, our utmost respect, our honesty and our unwavering support.

For farmers who are elderly or terminally ill, the anti-forestalling clause in the inheritance tax policy is creating a level of distress and strain that cannot be overstated. As the Prime Minister has previously said:

“If somebody makes powerful representations, then my instinct is to consider what’s being said. Getting it right is more important than ploughing on with a package which doesn’t necessarily achieve the desired outcome.”

While I welcome this Budget, I plead with the Government to look again at APR and inheritance tax for farmers.

Oral Answers to Questions

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Tuesday 21st October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

3. What steps his Department is taking to improve maternity and neonatal care.

[The Secretary of State for Health and Social Care (Wes Streeting)]

I am deeply concerned by the state of maternity care that we inherited in the NHS. That is why I have asked Baroness Amos to chair an independent investigation into NHS maternity and neonatal services. Families deserve truth and justice, there must be accountability for failings, and services must improve. I am committing to doing whatever it takes to provide patients and babies with safe, comfortable and dignified care.

I should also inform the House that this week I have announced an inquiry into failings at the Leeds teaching hospital trust. I am working with the families affected to agree on a chair and terms of reference, and I will keep the House updated on next steps.

[Samantha Niblett]

Pregnancy can be a worrying time for any expectant parent, and knowing they can access their GP to see a person face to face is hugely important. That was denied to my constituent, Hayley Johnson, who sadly went on to lose her baby, Evelyn, when she was delivered in an emergency at 26 weeks and six days due to a huge misdiagnosis given over the phone. With regard to maternity support specifically, what is the Minister doing to ensure that excellent maternity care is delivered in local communities so that that never happens to another family, and that when the very worst does happen and parents are suffering the loss of a baby, the support also extends to bereavement counselling?

[Wes Streeting]

I thank my hon. Friend for the work she is doing to campaign for better support in this space and for raising these tragic cases, not just today but in her powerful contribution to last week’s debate. She is right to say that GPs are critical for supporting women during pregnancy, providing compassionate physical and mental health care and signposting relevant services, which is why continuity is important. I am happy to report to her that, in terms of mental health and bereavement support, a record number of women accessed a specialist community perinatal mental health service or maternal mental health service in the 12 months to July 2025, but clearly there is much more to do. We have announced a £36.5 million package for bespoke perinatal mental health and parent infant relationship support as part of the continuation of the family hubs and Start for Life programme, but as we heard in last week’s debate, although a lot has been done, there is so much more to do.

Baby Loss

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Monday 13th October 2025 Commons Chamber

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

I want to thank the three Members who secured this debate. It is of profound importance. Not long after becoming an MP, I was contacted by Hayley Johnson, who wanted to speak with me about her heartbreak. In April 2025, Hayley found out she was pregnant with her daughter Evelyn. Up until she was 26 weeks and six days, she did not once see a GP, and was given only phone call appointments. On Tuesday 5 August 2025, she was suffering with lower abdominal pains and called her GP surgery, who said that her daughter was lying funny and prescribed her codeine. On Friday, she started losing blood while she was at home. It transpired that when she had called the GP, her placenta was rupturing. She lost over 4 pints of blood and nearly died. Luckily, the amazing staff at Burton hospital got her daughter out safely and stabilised Hayley, but after 13 hours, Evelyn sadly passed away with her mummy and daddy by her side.

Hayley was informed by the hospital that if her GP had seen her in person and examined her, they would have noticed what was happening, and her daughter would have stood a greater chance of survival. Because of the negligence she suffered, all she has left of Evelyn is a small box in the living room containing her ashes. I promised Hayley that at the right time I would mention Evelyn’s name in the Chamber, so that she would be remembered always in the records of Hansard.

No parent ever imagines that they will outlive their child. The loss of a baby is heartbreaking beyond words and a grief that shatters hopes and dreams for the future—the hope of seeing that child grow, thrive, learn and love, and the joy of watching them take their place in the world. All of those are stolen in an instant, leaving a space in the family that can never be filled. Brothers and sisters lose the chance of a lifelong companion. Grandparents lose the grandchild they had longed to cherish and spoil. Baby loss touches everyone and takes so much from so many.

My constituents and friends Suman and Jim Antcliffe have suffered the painful loss of two grandchildren: Lenny, who sadly passed away not long after a full-term birth, due to cord entanglement; and Bhai, whom they lost at 18 weeks’ pregnancy for a reason no one knows. Amid deep sorrow, Lenny and Bhai’s incredible parents, Miriam—Suman and Jim’s daughter—and her husband Roy, founded Lenny’s Legacy. They have published an e-book about the physical recovery after a baby’s death, which includes information on postpartum recovery, breastfeeding and lactation. Perhaps our NHS could look to fund that in hard copy, so that hospitals could to give it to parents who have suffered that loss.

Soon after I became the Member of Parliament for South Derbyshire, the team and I were contacted by Alex and Kirsty Garner, a couple who had suffered a loss. They felt that there was not the support they needed, so they created that support with a group called Our Little Angels in Swadlincote, run by parents, for parents. My team and I were honoured to help them secure the funding for that. I promised Alex and Kirsty and other parents who have walked this painful path that I would mention their babies’ names in the Chamber. I may go slightly over the one minute I have left—I apologise for that, Madam Deputy Speaker—but it would be wrong of me not to call them by name now. We have Hayley Johnson and John Haddon and baby Evelyn; Miriam and Roy Prestwich and babies Lenny and Bhai; Kirsty and Alex Garner and baby Harry; Ames and Graham Silcock and their babies Olivia, Teddy and Ava; Gina and Adam Deacon and baby Poppy; Jaimee Long and Owen Archer and babies Arlo and Ava; Rebekah Wykes and Matthew Buckley and baby Jacob; Chelsea and Steve Cooper and babies Flower and Blossom; Nicolle Taylor and Peter Summerbell and baby Ariya; Rachel and Leigh Brassington and baby Archie; Hayley and Anthony Dawe and twins Finley and Darcie; Millie Garbutt and Luke Lenton and baby Lenton; Katie Garner and Callum Charman and baby Charman; Kirstie and James Palmer and baby Palmer; Amie and Connor Chinnery and baby Noah; Bev and Oliver and baby Alister; Beth Milnthorpe and Craig Timbrell and baby Timbrell; Charlotte Atherton and Callum Keyte and baby Wyatt; Bec Barker and baby Alister; Bec and baby Maisie; Paula Ann Haddon and her baby; and Lorinda Brownhill and Adam Townsend and baby Alfie.

To every family who has lost a baby, your grief matters and your children matter. This week, we light candles and wear ribbons to remember them, and to remind one another that love, even in loss, endures.

Suicide Prevention

Samantha Niblett Excerpts

Thursday 11th September 2025 Commons Chamber

[Samantha Niblett (South Derbyshire) (Lab)]

I thank my hon. Friend the Member for Doncaster East and the Isle of Axholme (Lee Pitcher) for securing today’s vital debate. This issue is particularly personal for me, and I have been open about it in the House before. I was 11 when my mum first tried to take her own life, and I am so grateful to the Samaritans, whose badge I wear with pride, because it was they who saved her that first time. She was eventually diagnosed with bipolar disorder and finally got the support and medication she needed, and I am so thankful that she is around today to be the brilliant mum that she is—I know she is watching this right now.

In my 30s, I went through a tough time. Had it not been for my wonderful daughter, I would have liked to switch my “on” button off. I am not alone, because one in four people will have suicidal thoughts, and one in 13 will attempt to take their own life over the course of their life. Forty-five is the age at which a woman is most likely to take her own life, often influenced by hormonal changes ahead of menopause. I am a 45-year-old menopausal woman, so that sobering fact hits hard, and I am grateful for hormone replacement therapy. We need to ensure that more women are able to access the right support when they are going through these changes.

But as Members have said today, suicide does not just affect women. Veterans of all genders living with PTSD have a heightened risk of suicide after serving their country. There was a disturbing increase in suicides by farmers between 2022 and 2023, with more feared because of changes to inheritance tax rules. Suicide is the biggest killer of people under 35 and the biggest killer of men under 50, and we know that there is a significant crisis in men’s mental health. Nationally, there are a lot of organisations that aim to support men with their mental health, such as Andy’s Man Club and men’s sheds. Luckily, in my constituency of South Derbyshire, ManClub was set up last year after a local chef, Craig Riley, tragically died by suicide. Joe Ward, one of the founders and a friend of Craig’s, lives in Melbourne and now helps to run weekly meetings on Monday evenings at Melbourne Assembly Rooms, where men can talk openly without fear of judgment.

This Saturday, the Baton of Hope, a suicide prevention charity, will be touring through Derbyshire. It was started by two fathers whose sons tragically died by suicide. One of those fathers, Mike McCarthy, along with others affected or bereaved by suicide, will be stopping by Elvaston Castle in South Derbyshire on their tour, and I wish them all the best. I cannot wait to meet them in Parliament in December with my fellow Derbyshire MPs.

I want to live in a society in which no one ever feels like suicide is their only option. People deserve holistic and accessible mental health support through access to medication and/or affordable therapies. That is why I am so glad that the Government are fixing our precious NHS. But this is about so much more than healthcare and treating people with mental health issues; it is about preventing them from feeling suicidal in the first place—and so much of that comes from a greater sense of security, and hopefulness instead of hopelessness. Hope is so much easier to have when people have a secure home, good, well-paid jobs, a sense of purpose and a united feeling of community. I know that this Government desperately want to ensure that everyone has that, and that they are striving really hard to deliver it.