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British Medical Association (BMA)

Website:

www.bma.org.uk/
Location:

London, England
Type:

Medical Trade Union
Formation:

1832
President:

John Chisholm

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The British Medical Association (BMA) is the largest trade union and professional body for doctors in the United Kingdom. 1 It takes a number of left-of-center medical-advocacy and political stances, including initially not accepting the United Kingdom’s Cass Review that was critical of gender-reassignment treatment, 2 3 opposing a U.K. Supreme Court ruling that the legal definition of a woman is based on biological sex,  2 3 and condemning Israel.  4 5

The BMA apologized to female doctors after an independent investigation found that the organization was, as it described, an “old boys’ club.” The investigation found that some female doctors and BMA personnel felt “undervalued, ignored and patronised because they are women.” The report also called for the BMA to take action against “the damaging elements of its discriminatory culture, including the (limited) instances of sexual harassment.” 6

Background

The British Medical Association is the largest trade union and professional body for doctors in the United Kingdom. The organization was founded as the Provincial Medical and Surgical Association in Worcester, England, in 1832, before changing its name to the British Medical Association in 1855. The BMA assisted in securing the passage of the 1858 Medical Act, which established the General Medical Council and formally regulated who could practice medicine legally. 1 7 8

The organization applied to be officially recognized as a trade union by the British government in 1971, and its members went on strike for the first time in 1975. The BMA also began hiring full-time industrial-relations negotiators in 1982. 7

The BMA’s membership rose above 200,000 for the first time in September 2025, according to the organization. 9

Advocacy

Transgenderism

The British Medical Association was criticized for rejecting the Cass Review of transgender healthcare, a medical review authored by Hilary Cass, a former president of the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health. 3 10

The review, published in April 2024, argued that gender medicine was operating on “shaky foundations,” and that the research and evidence regarding transgender services and medication, such as puberty blockers, was “remarkably weak.” The report also argued that the results of studies regarding gender-related issues were “exaggerated or misrepresented by people on all sides of the debate,” and that the “reality” was that there was “no good evidence on the long-term outcomes of interventions to manage gender-related distress.” 2 3

The BMA refused to endorse the findings of the report, claimed it contained “unsubstantiated recommendations,” and called for its members to “publicly critique” it. The BMA, in August 2024, also called for the ban on prescribing puberty blockers to those under the age of 18 to be lifted. The BMA is the only U.K. medical organization that did not accept the Cass Review’s findings. 3

Critics of the BMA’s stance on the review claimed the group’s position was “irrational,” that the leadership of the organization created a “fracture” between itself and BMA members, and that the organization’s reputation and “integrity” had been “damaged.” Around 1,500 doctors signed a letter of protest, and some longstanding members of the BMA resigned. 3

The Academy of Medical Royal Colleges criticized the BMA’s position and its questioning of the “validity of the evidence and consequently the findings” of the review. After much criticism, including from its own members, the BMA adopted a “neutral position” on the Cass Review in September 2024. 11 12

The BMA also claimed in April 2025 that the United Kingdom’s Supreme Court’s ruling that the legal definition of a woman was based on biological sex was “scientifically illiterate.” The BMA claimed that a divide between gender and sex had “no basis in science or medicine,” and that divide was “actively harmful to transgender and gender-diverse people.” 13

Anti-Israel Sentiment

The British Medical Association’s annual conference in 2024 featured 30 motions, policy proposals voted on by doctors in attendance, that were related to the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian territories. According to the Daily Telegraph, the motions were dismissed as they could have been seen as “discriminatory, more specifically, antisemitic.” 14

The BMA’s London regional council repeatedly called for the organization to boycott Israeli conferences and medical journals, due to claims that Israel was committing “genocide.” Other requests for the BMA to lobby the U.K. government to stop supplying Israel with arms were also made. 14

The BMA annual conference in 2025 also featured 43 motions relating to Israel. They included a motion that read, “Criticism of the actions of the state of Israel is not per se antisemitic,” while another motion called for the BMA to affirm the “right” of healthcare professionals to “criticise states, governments, or institutions for actions that contravene international law.” Both motions passed with a majority vote. 4 5

The United Kingdom’s Jewish Medical Association claimed that its members felt “intimidated, unsafe and excluded” at the conference. Approximately 60 Jewish doctors left, or expressed intentions to leave, the BMA after the 2025 conference. The resigning doctors stated that the motions relating to Israel and Gaza were divisive and disproportionally represented. 4

Controversies

Antisemitism Allegations

Mary McCarthy, former president of the British Medical Association, was investigated by the organization after she allegedly “repeatedly amplified” antisemitic posts on social media. She was accused of creating a “hostile environment” for Jewish doctors after she used her X (formerly Twitter) account to share posts focusing on the conflict in Gaza. 15

The BMA began the investigation after a letter of complaint was written by Labour Against Antisemitism, which described McCarthy’s online activity as “deeply concerning.” One message she reposted on her account described the Israel-Gaza conflict as “a holocaust.” 15

McCarthy also shared “incendiary” posts by Sarah Wilkinson, an activist at Palestine Action, a U.K.-based anti-Israel organization that Labour Party U.K. Home Secretary Yvette Cooper announced in June 2025 would be banned as a designated terrorist organization following instances of organizing “a nationwide campaign of direct criminal action,” which included vandalizing of a British air base earlier in the month and vandalizing President Donald Trump’s Turnberry golf resort in Scotland in March 2025. 15 16

Sexism and Sexual Harassment

In 2019, the British Medical Association apologized to female doctors after an independent investigation found that the organization was, as it described, an “old boys’ club.” 6

The investigation found that some female doctors and BMA personnel felt “undervalued, ignored and patronised because they are women.” The report also called for the BMA to take action against “the damaging elements of its discriminatory culture, including the (limited) instances of sexual harassment.” 6

The report also argued that “excessive consumption of alcohol” at conferences contributed to incidents of sexual harassment. According to the report, this included “being touched inappropriately, lewd and inappropriate sexual remarks,” as well as “staring at a woman’s breasts,” and being “kissed or hugged.” 17

The report also argued that BMA leadership had failed to call out bad behaviour, including “sex discrimination, sexual harassment, rudeness and bullying of all kinds.” 17

Affiliated Organizations

The British Medical Association has its own affiliated foundation called the BMA Foundation, which provides funding to further medical research.  The foundation reported a total revenue of just over £1.25 million (approximately $1.7 million), mostly from investments, while its expenditures amounted to around £800,000 (approximately $1,080,000), most of which was charitable expenditure. 18

There is also a BMA Charities Trust Fund, which provides funds to doctors and medical students in financial difficulty. 19

References

  1. Group, SHR. “Trade Unions for UK Doctors – SHR.” March 31, 2025. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://shrgroup.uk/blog/trade-unions-for-uk-doctors/. 
  2. Weale, Sally. “What are the key findings of the NHS gender identity review?.” The Guardian. April 9, 2024. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2024/apr/10/what-are-the-key-findings-of-the-nhs-gender-identity-review. 
  3. Campbell, Denis. “BMA stance on Cass review of transgender care ‘has damaged its reputation’.” The Guardian. September 7, 2024. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/sep/07/bma-stance-on-cass-review-of-transgender-care-has-damaged-its-reputation. 
  4. “One in 10 motions at British Medical conference about Israel, Palestine.” The Jerusalem Post. June 24, 2025. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-858887. 
  5. “UK medical conference passes three anti-Israel motions.” The Jerusalem Post. June 25, 2025. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-859006. 
  6. Campbell, Denis. “BMA apologises to female doctors over sexism.” The Guardian. October 17, 2019. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/society/2019/oct/17/bma-apologises-to-female-doctors-over-sexism. 
  7. Saunders, Jack. “British Medical Association.” January 27, 2016. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://peopleshistorynhs.org/encyclopaedia/the-british-medical-association/. 
  8. “A long way from Worcester.” PMC . Accessed December 29, 2025. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC1914517/. 
  9. Tonkin, Tim. “Membership of BMA surpasses 200,000.” September 29, 2025. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.bma.org.uk/news-and-opinion/membership-of-bma-surpasses-200-000. 
  10. Mackintosh, Thomas. “Cass Review: Gender care report author attacks ‘misinformation’.” BBC News. April 20, 2024. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-68863594. 
  11. Campbell, Denis. “‘Witch-hunt’: BMA tries to identify who leaked planned opposition to Cass review.” The Guardian. August 29, 2024. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/aug/29/witch-hunt-bma-tries-to-identify-who-leaked-planned-opposition-to-cass-review. 
  12. News, BBC. “BMA takes ‘neutral position’ on gender review.” BBC News. September 27, 2024. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/articles/c20pn0164ypo. 
  13. Lawton, Katherine. “Doctors label Supreme Court’s ruling on women ‘scientifically illiterate’ as trans row continues.” Daily Mail Online. April 29, 2025. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-14657665/Doctors-label-Supreme-Court-ruling-women-scientifically-illiterate-trans.html. 
  14. “Jewish doctor heckled at British Medical Association conference.” The Jerusalem Post. June 25, 2024. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-807720. 
  15. “Labour Against Antisemitism.” News. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://labouragainstas.org.uk/news-and-comment/laas-expose-inflammatory-posts-by-bma-president-in-the-times/. 
  16. “Group that Vandalized Trump Golf Course Faces U.K. Ban Under Terrorism Law.” New York Times. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.nytimes.com/2025/06/23/world/europe/palestine-action-uk-government-ban.html. 
  17. Oppenheim, Maya. “Women bullied and harassed at ‘toxic’ British Medical Association, scathing report into sexism says.” Independent. October 17, 2019. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://www.independent.co.uk/news/health/bma-sexism-harassment-women-bullying-british-medical-association-a9160116.html. 
  18. “BMA FOUNDATION – Charity 1192733.” 1192733. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://register-of-charities.charitycommission.gov.uk/en/about-the-register-of-charities/-/charity-details/5168338/full-print. 
  19. “Support for doctors.” BMA Charities. Accessed December 29, 2025. https://bmacharities.org.uk/support-for-doctors. 
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