Metropolitan Police investigate criminal damage at Health Secretary’s constituency office on Woodford Avenue following indefinite puberty blockers ban
A transgender rights protest group has vandalised Health Secretary Wes Streeting’s constituency office in Ilford North, smashing windows and spray-painting “child killer” on the building in an escalation of protests against his policies on trans healthcare.
Metropolitan Police officers were called to the scene on Woodford Avenue at 10:16am on Friday, 1 August 2025, where they discovered paint damage and broken windows at the MP’s office. The activist group Bash Back claimed responsibility for the attack, citing Streeting’s “continued abuse of trans people in the medical system” as their motivation.
The vandalism represents a significant escalation in tensions between trans rights activists and the Health Secretary, who made an indefinite ban on puberty blockers for under-18s permanent in December 2024. No arrests have been made as police continue their investigation into the criminal damage.
Health Secretary Condemns Attack on Democracy
Streeting responded to the incident on social media, writing: “From day one as Ilford North’s MP I’ve had an accessible and visible constituency office to serve my local community. Repeated criminal damage is unfair to my staff and an attack on democracy.”
The Health Secretary confirmed that a live police investigation is underway into the vandalism. Metropolitan Police stated they attended the scene and found the address had been attacked with paint and sustained window damage, but provided no further details about potential suspects or evidence gathered.
The attack comes amid growing tensions over Labour’s stance on transgender healthcare, particularly following Streeting’s decision to maintain and extend Conservative policies restricting access to puberty blockers for young people.
Bash Back’s Statement and Accusations
In a statement released following the vandalism, Bash Back accused Streeting and the Labour Government of intending “to erase trans people from public life, and will go out of their way to do so.
The group specifically cited several policy changes they attribute to Streeting’s tenure as Health Secretary: “In the months since the puberty blockers ban, we have seen huge backpedals in the healthcare rights afforded to trans people – and young people especially – in an NHS system that was never kind to us in the first place.
Bash Back claimed that under Streeting’s leadership, “GPs have been banned from conducting blood tests on trans patients accessing HRT, and trans people have been banned from accessing hospital wards that fit their gender, leading necessarily to poorer quality of care across the board.”
The activists also alleged that “Streeting, along with NHS England, the EHRC and Hilary Cass, have paved the way for state-mandated conversion therapy, which has since led to the Department for Education’s proposed introduction of a Section 28 style bill, preventing discussion of transness in the classroom.
Context of Ongoing Protests
The vandalism follows months of sustained protests against Streeting’s policies on transgender healthcare. Trans Kids Deserve Better, another activist group, has been leaving paper coffins outside his constituency office daily since August 2024 to protest the puberty blockers ban.
In December 2024, young trans activists from the same network occupied the area outside Streeting’s office following his announcement of an indefinite ban on puberty blockers. The group placed a large cardboard coffin bearing the words “we will live out of spite” at his office door.
Two members of Trans Kids Deserve Better attempted to confront Streeting at a Guardian Live event in March 2025 but were escorted from the venue. The Health Secretary has consistently refused to meet with the youth activist group despite their repeated requests for dialogue.
Controversial Healthcare Policies
The vandalism occurs against a backdrop of significant policy changes affecting transgender healthcare in the UK. In December 2024, Streeting announced that the temporary ban on puberty blockers introduced by the previous Conservative government would be made indefinite, with a review scheduled for 2027.
The decision followed recommendations from the Commission on Human Medicines, which cited “unacceptable safety risks” despite numerous international studies indicating the medications are generally safe and reversible. The ban applies to both NHS and private prescriptions for under-18s seeking treatment for gender dysphoria.
Critics argue that the policy contradicts Labour’s manifesto commitment to “remove indignities for trans people who deserve recognition and acceptance.” LGBT+ Labour condemned the decision, stating it “disregards the urgent needs of vulnerable young people.
Streeting’s Shifting Position on Trans Rights
The Health Secretary’s stance on transgender issues has evolved significantly since entering government. In April 2024, prior to the general election, Streeting publicly stated he no longer stood by his previous position that “trans women are women,” expressing regret over the statement.
Documents revealed in February 2025 showed Streeting had met with members of Bayswater Support Group, an organisation accused by some of promoting “conversion therapy” for trans youth. He described meeting with the group as “traumatic” for some families involved.
In April 2025, Streeting reiterated his belief that it is “not right” to say trans women are women, stating that people should admit they were “not right” for believing trans people are valid in their identified gender.
Legal and Political Implications
The vandalism raises questions about the effectiveness of protest strategies and the potential for criminalisation of trans rights activism. Under UK law, criminal damage carries potential penalties including fines and imprisonment, depending on the severity of the offence.
The incident also highlights the increasingly polarised debate around transgender rights in British politics. Labour’s continuation and expansion of Conservative policies on trans healthcare has created tensions within the party, with some members accusing leadership of abandoning manifesto commitments.
The Department of Health and Social Care has maintained that decisions on puberty blockers are “evidence-led” and prioritise child safety. However, critics point to international evidence supporting the use of these medications and argue the ban represents ideological rather than medical decision-making.
Ongoing Investigation
Metropolitan Police have not disclosed whether they have identified any suspects or recovered evidence from the scene. The force confirmed they are investigating criminal damage but have made no arrests at this time.
The vandalism of an MP’s constituency office represents a serious escalation in protest tactics and could potentially lead to enhanced security measures at parliamentary offices across the country. The incident underscores the intensity of feeling around transgender healthcare policies and the breakdown in dialogue between activists and policymakers.
As the investigation continues, questions remain about how the government will respond to increasingly desperate protests from trans rights groups who feel their concerns are being systematically ignored by those in power.
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Image Credit:
This is a licensed photograph used in cropped form:
- Official portrait of Wes Streeting MP (crop 3) – English description: Official portrait of Wes Streeting MP crop 3.jpg, depicting Wes Streeting, taken on 18 December 2019, by David Woolfall. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 3.0 Unported (CC BY 3.0)
