GP climate activist has suspension extended as tribunal says her position remains unchanged

The suspension of retired GP and climate activist Dr Sarah Benn has been extended after a Medical Practitioners Tribunal Service (MPTS) review found that her fitness to practise remains impaired, with the panel concluding that little had changed since earlier rulings on her conduct.

Dr Benn, a former Birmingham GP, first came before the tribunal in April 2024, when she was suspended for multiple breaches of a High Court injunction during Just Stop Oil protests at the Kingsbury oil terminal in 2022 — breaches that resulted in a custodial sentence. The GMC later emphasised that her suspension was imposed not for protesting, but for repeatedly breaking court orders, behaviour the regulator said risked undermining public trust in the profession.

Her case returned to prominence in January 2025, when she lost her High Court appeal against the original five‑month suspension. The court upheld the tribunal’s findings that her repeated unlawful protest activity — despite warnings from the GMC — amounted to serious misconduct and demonstrated a likelihood of repetition.

The latest MPTS review, reported by The Doctor, confirms that the tribunal continues to view Dr Benn’s behaviour as part of a pattern of unlawful activism. The panel noted her more recent criminal conviction for criminal damage linked to an animal‑rights protest in February 2023, for which she received a 12‑month community order and was ordered to pay compensation. Dr Benn argued that the damage was “trivial”, that her actions were non‑violent, and that her motivations were grounded in conscience rather than personal gain. She also told the tribunal she had given an undertaking not to repeat such actions.

However, the tribunal found that her stance had not materially changed since earlier hearings. It concluded that she continued to show an attitude suggesting she could “choose which laws to follow”, and that this ongoing risk of repetition made a continued finding of impairment necessary to protect public confidence in the profession.

The tribunal also reiterated that while doctors are free to engage in lawful protest, breaking the law repeatedly — even for causes rooted in public health or environmental concern — falls significantly outside expected professional standards. This position aligns with the GMC’s earlier public statement stressing that its investigations focus on unlawful conduct, not a doctor’s political or moral motivations.

A further hearing is expected to determine the length of the extended suspension and whether additional sanctions are required. 

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