Climate activist GP has suspension extended as position ‘unchanged’

A retired GP and climate change activist has had her suspension from the medical register extended after a MPTS (Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service) panel found that her fitness to practise remains ‘impaired’.

Sarah Benn (pictured above) did not attend her review hearing, held virtually this week, but wrote a letter of submission to the panel saying her attendance would have served ‘no purpose’ as her views remain ‘unchanged’.

Dr Benn, who retired from clinical practice in 2022 after a 32-year career, has consistently claimed it is her ‘moral duty’ as a doctor to protect human life, including standing up for those affected by the effects of the globally recognised climate emergency.

Two earlier tribunals concluded she was ‘impaired’ from practising as a doctor as a result of actions relating to her climate activism and she was suspended. No clinical concerns have ever been raised.

At the first hearing, in 2024, she admitted to breaching a court injunction by sitting in the road and holding a placard by Kingsbury Oil Terminal, in non-violent protest at its continued burning of fossil fuels, for which she served 32 days in prison.

The MPTS panel concluded her fitness to practise was ‘impaired’ by way of misconduct because the action had led to a criminal conviction. She appealed the decision in the High Court, with the backing of the BMA, but the appeal was dismissed.

A second tribunal led to an extension of her suspension as well as concluding that Dr Benn’s fitness to practise was also ‘impaired’ as a result of a conviction relating to a separate peaceful protest in February 2023.

She had demonstrated against testing on animals by research company Sequani, for which she was convicted of criminal damage, fined £500 and ordered to take part in community service.

In her submission to this week’s hearing, seen by The Doctor, Dr Benn said she had not changed her view in relation to the climate emergency, and how medical professionals have a responsibility to act to protect life.

She wrote that her attendance ‘would simply be going through the motions of a process which I do not feel is fit for purpose’.

She added: ‘From my perspective, nothing has changed, other than the severity and urgency of the climate and ecological emergency – which has escalated. My hope that anything meaningful might be done about it by those with the power and responsibility to intervene has been evaporated.

‘I am confident that you will spend the necessary time in assimilating all the information previously presented by both sides, and so I will not repeat my arguments which are spelt out in the bundle, and unchanged.’

Dr Benn referred the MPTS panel to the National Emergency Briefing on the climate and nature crisis by 10 of the UK’s foremost experts to an audience of 1,200 politicians, leaders and the media in November 2025.

She said this was evidence that ‘should be acted upon by every leader, every parent, every person with any kind of responsibility for the welfare of other persons and future generations’ as she urged them to ‘read it carefully’.

Dr Benn said she has had years to reflect on her actions, noting: ‘My position is unchanged. Nor will it change.’

Writing ahead of the tribunal, she added: ‘The GMC will interpret this as a lack of insight, which alongside my failure to express regret and undertake remediation, justifies a further period of suspension.'

Dr Benn said she no longer intends to pay her GMC subscription fees, due in July, and hopes ‘this process can be drawn to a close then, if not before’.

Zoe Dawson, counsel for the GMC, told the hearing that Dr Benn’s actions showed ‘no willingness to remediate’.

She submitted that the risk of Dr Benn repeating her actions, and the level of risk to public protection, ‘remains high’.

Ms Dawson referred to a previous tribunal in which Dr Benn said she could not guarantee she would not take part in further peaceful climate change activism if she deemed it necessary to her cause.

The GMC counsel said Dr Benn’s ‘level of insight’ into the MPTS tribunal findings was ‘static’ and that the details of her written submission, as well as her comments in previous hearings, were evidence that she ‘did not accept her actions were wrong’.

This, added Ms Dawson, showed a ‘disregard for professional standards’. She told the hearing: ‘The public must be able to trust that doctors always act within the law.'

The GMC submitted that a further period of suspension was necessary. Ms Dawson said the issue was ‘capable of remediation’, but noted Dr Benn’s lack of intent to remediate, including in recent communications.

The BMA has raised concerns about measures taken by the GMC against doctors carrying out peaceful protest which it says has ‘no bearing on their ability to practise medicine’.

In a statement last year, the association says it is ‘deeply troubled that doctors who have taken peaceful action have been sanctioned by the GMC’.