Tech billionaire Elon Musk has voiced strong criticism after Marlon West, a candidate for Mayor of Greater Manchester, was suspended from working in the National Health Service (NHS) over social media posts. West, who is standing as a candidate for the hard-Right Restore Britain party, has campaigned for a national inquiry into organized child sex abuse, stemming from his daughter's experience with trafficking.
The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC) imposed an interim suspension on West, an advanced nurse practitioner with 30 years of NHS experience, last week. The suspension is reportedly related to social media posts concerning grooming gangs. One post, allegedly made in a private Facebook group, stated, 'This is what Pakistanis do! After being raped and tortured! My daughter you sicko.' Another post reportedly called for "Afghans from entering the UK."
Restore Britain leader Rupert Lowe condemned the suspension as 'scandalous' and suggested its timing, shortly before the by-election, created an "unmistakable appearance of political interference." Musk shared Lowe's letter to the NMC chair with his 241 million followers, commenting, "It could have been your daughter."
The NMC responded by stating that action is not taken simply because a professional's words cause offense. The council indicated that intervention occurs only when the expression of views fundamentally calls into question an individual's conduct or performance. The NMC also asserted that the timing of any interim order is driven solely by its regulatory process.
West's daughter, Scarlett, was trafficked and abused from the age of 14. West reported her missing over 50 times to the police, providing evidence of her abuse, but no arrests were made, and no perpetrators were prosecuted. Scarlett herself faced repeated arrests and a strip search at age 14. She has since waived her anonymity to campaign with her father for a national inquiry into grooming gangs.
The NMC's decision, which does not specify reasons for the 18-month interim suspension, was made while West was not present or represented at the hearing. He stated he never received complaints about his clinical practice during his NHS career and expressed shock at the suspension, calling it "political interference."
West has pledged that if elected, he will ensure public services improve protections for young people, criticizing outgoing Mayor Andy Burnham's record. Lowe, supporting West, described the timing of the suspension as "suspicious" and "questionable," adding that West's comments were "objectively factual" and his call to end Afghan immigration a "reasonable political opinion."
Recent projections indicate that Labour's Bev Craig is expected to win the mayoral election on July 30. The article notes that the Labour party has faced criticism regarding its handling of grooming gang investigations, with a national inquiry now underway led by former children's commissioner Baroness Anne Longfield. This inquiry is investigating the operation of grooming gangs and the response of public institutions.