Dr David Mackereth, 56, is ‘determined to fight the case all the way (Picture: BPM Media)

A Christian doctor is taking the Government to court, claiming he was sacked for refusing to call transgender patients by their chosen sex.

Dr David Mackereth, 56, says he lost his job while carrying out assessments for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last June, because he believed using transgendered pronouns were against his conscience as a doctor and a Christian.

In response, the DWP declared that failing to accommodate clients’ preferences would amount to ‘harassment’ under the Equality Act.

Dr Mackereth, a Reformed Baptist who had been an A&E doctor for 26 years in the NHS, was dismissed from his role as a ‘Health and Disability Assessor.’




His case, which is being supported by the Christian Legal Centre, is due to be heard before an employment tribunal in Birmingham today.

Dr Mackereth’s lawyers will argue that the DWP policy of compelling staff to use ‘transgender pronouns’ is a breach of the Equality Act and that the DWP has breached Dr Mackereth’s right to freedom of thought, conscience, and religion.

Dr Mackereth, 56, says he lost his job doing assessments for the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) last June (Picture: Christian Concern/BPM Media)

The medic from Dudley, West Midlands, has worked in A&E departments across the UK, including the Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, Shropshire for the past seven years.

Dr Mackereth said: ‘I am determined to fight for justice in this case, as firstly, as a society and in the medical profession, we are not allowed to say what we believe.

‘Secondly, as my case shows, we are not allowed to think what we believe.

‘Finally, we are not allowed to defend what we believe.

Princess Royal Hospital in Telford, Shropshire, where Dr David Mackereth worked for the past seven years (Picture: BPM Media)

‘Christians must be able to hold and express their faith in private and public and to uphold Biblical and scientific truths without fear of losing their livelihoods.’

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre, said: ‘Dr Mackereth is a Christian hero, who chose to sacrifice his distinguished professional career rather than compromise on the Bible and his conscience.

‘The requirement to use so-called transgender pronouns defies common sense and Christian faith. It serves no useful purpose except filtering out firm Christians and men of principle such as Dr Mackereth.’

She added: ‘We are determined to fight all the way to secure justice in this case.’

A DWP spokesperson said: ‘We expect all assessors to handle assessments sensitively and adhere to the Equality Act 2010.’

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