Homeopathy-Supporting Hunt as Health Secretary: Cabinet Reshuffle Shows Cameron’s Choices As Bad As Ever

September 4, 2012 at 4:55 pm (Alternative Medicine, Evidence, government, Homeopathy, Politics) (Abortion, Anti-abortion, Cabinet Reshuffle, David Cameron, David Tredinnick, Homeopathy, Jeremy Hunt, Nadine Dorries)

In 2010, I wrote of my surprise on discovering that Nadine Dorries and David Tredinnick had been appointed to the Select Committee on Health. Cameron seems to have gone one better with his cabinet reshuffle, appointing Jeremy Hunt as Health Secretary.

The appointments of the hoax-promoting anti-abortion MP for Mid Bedfordshire and the uncritical promoter of inert treatments (currently MP for Bosworth) were cause for dismay among skeptics. I imagine there will be similar concern about the appointment of Hunt.

The Telegraph’s Tom Chivers has already reported on the appointment, pointing out that Hunt disagreed with a constituent who rightly pointed out that homeopathy is not effective and in 2007 signed an EDM supportive of the inert ‘remedy’ that is based on magical thinking.

The Huffington Post has also reported on the appointment. Like Chivers, their correspondent points to Hunt’s support for homeopathy. Dina Rickman also points out that:

In 2008 the-then MP for South West Surrey voted for the abortion time limit to be reduced to 12 weeks from 24, according to data from Publicwhip. […]

Reacting to the news of his appointment, Labour MP Angela Smith tweeted: “Worrying that Hunt sent to Health given that he’s anti abortion and anti stem cell research.”

So as well as having anti-science evidencephobes in the Select Committee on Health, we now have an anti-science evidencephobe as Health Minister.

Thanks for that, Dave.

Update, 20:55 4th September 2012

This has also been covered by Ben Goldacre and Denis Campbell of the Guardian, who point out that Hunt once called for the NHS to be dismantled and allegedly tried to remove a tribute to the NHS from the Olympics opening ceremony.