Employment Tribunal Judge: Richard Page’s case is ‘crying out to be heard’

12 January 2017

An Employment Tribunal Judge has described the case of Richard Page as “crying out to be heard” at a preliminary hearing today (12 January).

In August 2016 an NHS panel unanimously decided that it was “not in the interests of the health service” for Mr Page to continue as a non-executive director because of his view that it was in the best interests of a child to be raised by a married mother and father.

Today Mr Page attended an initial hearing at which the NHS argued that the case should be struck out.

But Employment Tribunal Judge Downs said “my instinct is that this is a case which is crying out to be heard”.

In response to questions from the Judge, Mr Page’s representative, Pavel Stroilov, confirmed that the NHS discriminated against Mr Page because of his Christian faith and because of his philosophical belief that it is in the best interests of a child to have a married mother and a father.

Further, a letter addressed to Mr Page was read out stating that had Mr Page “still been in post as a non-executive director… this letter would have formed the basis of the recommendation… that [his] appointment be terminated as being not in the interests of the health service for [him] to continue to hold that office”.

Excluded

Andrea Williams, Chief Executive of the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting Mr Page, commented:

“This is remarkable. Before Christmas Theresa May said that Christians should be free to express their faith in the workplace. Since then we have seen the suggestion that public office holders swear an oath to ‘British values’, and Dame Louise Casey has said that ‘it is not OK for Catholic schools to be homophobic and anti gay marriage’.

“The NHS has made it clear that it thinks Richard Page is not fit to hold public office.

“We need to understand what is happening here. Christians are being excluded from public office because of what they believe. If this continues Richard will not be the last Christian to be barred from serving his community.”

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