Harrogate and Knaresborough’s new Liberal Democrat MP Tom Gordon has called for the ban on puberty blockers to be overturned.

The former Conservative government announced an emergency ban on puberty blockers to treat gender dysphoria two months ago.

It followed a review by the paediatrition Dr Hilary Cass.

New Labour Health Secretary Wes Streeting MP said on social media he supported the ban, saying there is “not enough evidence” about the long-term safety impact of puberty blockers, “nor which children might benefit from them”. 

But Leeds Liberal Democrats have organised a petition opposing the ban. 

It says 'Labours (sic) decision to defend the ban on puberty blockers in the High Court is immoral and puts trans healthcare at risk.'

Tom Gordon, who defeated Conservative Andrew Jones in Harrogate and Knaresborough this month, attended Leeds Pride with fellow Lib Dems last weekend.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, he said:

The Stray Ferret contacted Mr Gordon for further details about the petition, but we did not receive a response.

The Lib Dems’ rights and equality section of its elecion manifesto pledged to 'champion the freedom, dignity and wellbeing of every individual'.

As part of this, the party said it would 'respect and defend' the rights of people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, including transgender and non-binary people.

Puberty blockers can cause irreversible changes, including temporary or even permanent infertility for long-term users, according to the NHS.

The NHS defines gender dysphoria as a 'sense of unease' that a person may feel because of a 'mismatch' between their biological sex and gender identity.

The emergency ban is currently in place from June 3 to September 3 this year.