Conservative Party MP Kieran Mullan – a doctor by background no less – has publicly attacked the work of NHS anti-privatisation campaign group EveryDoctor.
However, the group wasn’t about to let the Tory politician get away with misrepresenting its vital work. So now, it has made a formal complaint to the party.
EveryDoctor’s work maligned by a Tory MP
In the Autumn of 2024, EveryDoctor built a doctors’ manifesto to fix the NHS. With the input of hundreds of doctors, this blueprint spells out a series of urgent actions the Labour Party government must now make to mend the UK’s ailing health services and end dangerous NHS privatisation. Between October and December, it hosted a series of briefings for MPs, and in January 2025, it followed these up with another emergency briefing.
The group and its volunteers brought the manifesto’s ideas to 117 MPs and their teams. And a key part of its success was down to the public’s help. Throughout, the group asked the public to contact their MPs, and encourage them to engage with EveryDoctor’s work.
Many MPs responded positively and did engage with EveryDoctor’s work. For instance, as many as 104 MP offices supported its latest briefing in January.
However, this was a far-cry from the response that Mullan made to constituents concerned about the state of the NHS. By contrast, he wrote to them that:
I don’t attend briefings or work with EveryDoctor. I find that their social media is more concerned with building their social media following and raising money to further that than genuine efforts to engage sensibly and constructively with the challenges facing the NHS.
Hostile behaviour unacceptable in public office
Of course, constituents are no strangers to stock responses and dismissive answers from MPs. As EveryDoctor noted on the mixed MP reception to constituent outreach:
Many MPs shared our concerns about the current situation in the NHS, others replied with the ‘official party line’, some didn’t reply to their constituents at all and others have approached us for helping in formulating parliamentary questions and motions.
However, EveryDoctor feels that Mullan’s response crossed a line. So, it isn’t letting his disparaging and misrepresentative words stand. Notably, the group has now issued a formal complaint to the Conservative Party HQ’s Complaints Panel. In it, the group wrote that his comments are:
a grossly inaccurate description of our work, it also impugns our integrity as a campaigning organisation.
What’s more, Mullan’s remarks come at a time of winter crisis for the NHS. It’s therefore alarmed that an elected representative would respond to the genuine concern of a constituent in such a hostile manner.
Moreover, the group pointed out that this “hostile behaviour”:
from politicians, and others in positions of power, has led to the incitement of harassment and bullying online that is so prevalent today. Behaviour from elected officials has real-world consequences
The EveryDoctor team – and in particular, group founder and Canary journalist Dr Julia Grace Patterson – have often been at the sharp end of this.
It’s on the basis of all this that EveryDoctor believes Mullan has broken the Conservative Party Code of Conduct. So on 25 February, the group made this known by reporting his behaviour to the Conservative Party’s formal complaints body.
Breaching the Conservative Code of Conduct?
In its letter, it has underscored a number of standards it believes Mullan’s comments are in breach of per the Lord Nolan and the Committee on Standards in Public Life. These are as follows:
- “3. Objectivity – Holders of public office must act and take decisions impartially, fairly and on merit, using the best evidence and without discrimination or bias.”
- “6. Honesty – Holders of public office should be truthful.”
- “7. Leadership – Holders of public office should exhibit these principles in their own behaviour. They should actively promote and robustly support the principles and be willing to challenge poor behaviour wherever it occurs;
– Lead by example to encourage and foster respect and tolerance;
– Treat others with civility, courtesy and respect;
– Act with honesty and probity and in a manner which upholds the reputation and values of the Conservative Party. Such duty is fundamental. Conduct which the public may reasonably perceive as undermining a representative’s honesty and probity is likely to diminish trust and confidence placed in them, and the Party, by the public;
– Not use their position to bully, abuse, victimise, harass or unlawfully discriminate against others.” - Annex – “Harassment is any unwanted physical, verbal or non-verbal conduct that has the purpose or effect of violating a person’s dignity or creating an intimidating, hostile, degrading, humiliating or offensive situation or environment for them. A single incident can amount to harassment.”
>And: “Bullying is offensive, intimidating, malicious or insulting behaviour involving the misuse of power that can make a person feel vulnerable, upset, humiliated, undermined or threatened.”
As a result, the group now hopes the party will take its complaint seriously and find him in breach of all this. If the Conservative’s complaints panel do so, they suggest that it require him to make public apologies both to his constituents, and EveryDoctor.
The Canary contacted Kieran Mullan for comment. His office told us:
We would observe that a group that seems more concerned with building and maintaining a social media following than credibly engaging with the challenges facing the NHS, responded to an MP concerned about this on TikTok.
EveryDoctor shows up Mullan in one fell swoop
What’s more, amidst the allegations, EveryDoctor well and truly rebuffed Mullan’s comments to boot. It listed off a series of its work and and achievements, writing:
Over the past 6 years, EveryDoctor has held over 30 MP briefings, published ground-breaking research projects about the extent of NHS privatisation and conducted a national campaign during the COVID-19 pandemic to fight for protections for frontline workers.
By comparison, Mullan has hardly been a champion of “genuine efforts to engage sensibly and constructively with the challenges facing the NHS”.
In 2021, he was among 291 MPs that voted through the Conservative’s Health and Care Bill. Campaigners had branded it a “Corporate Takeover Bill”, and for good reason. At the time, EveryDoctor was on the scene fighting against it. Patterson explained to the Canary how the restructuring of the NHS opened the door to ever greater privatisation. This was through the establishment of Integrated Care Systems (ICS) which enabled private companies to sit on local health boards.
Of course, the bill became law – and has facilitated the speed up of NHS privatisation ever since. Judging by his voting record then, it’s little wonder Mullan isn’t a fan of EveryDoctor’s work. His response to a constituent showed a barely concealed hostility and contempt for the organisation.
At the very least though, EveryDoctor has proven his comments to be spurious nonsense. And they could very well constitute a breach of the Conservative’s Code of Conduct. Whether the party’s panel will genuinely acknowledge this however, yet remains to be seen.
Featured image via the Canary
