Overview
- Training materials told staff concerns were exaggerated, stated 85–90% of cousin couples have unaffected children, advised against discouraging the practice, and cited potential social and economic benefits.
- NHS England opened an investigation and said it will remove any inappropriate wording found in the midwifery guidance.
- An NHS spokesperson said the service recognises genetic risks in consanguineous relationships and offers referrals to genetics services to support informed decisions.
- The Department of Health and Social Care called first cousin marriages high risk and unsafe and is working with the NHS to examine how the guidance was produced.
- Politicians and academics condemned the materials, and GB News reported a YouGov poll indicating strong public support for a legal ban on cousin marriage.