Bradford NHS hires nurse to help cousin-marriage couples - despite mass outcry over practice

The job description said the successful candidate would “provide comprehensive care support to families who have recently had a baby and are close relatives”.

The posting includes cousins, uncles, aunts, and other close-relatives as examples.

While it is illegal to marry many close relatives in the UK, first-cousin marriage remains legal.

Ministers have faced mounting calls to ban the practice in recent years over serious health concerns.

Tory frontbencher Richard Holden introduced a proposal to ban the practice to the Commons in 2024 - prompting an outcry from pro-Gaza MPs.

He told GB News just days ago: "It is an issue bound up with serious health implications, closed communities, and the isolation of the vulnerable.

"I am appalled, but sadly not surprised, that Labour is once again turning a blind eye to the issue and allowing it to be kicked into the long grass rather than taking a genuine stand or even explaining why they continue to back first-cousin marriage in the UK."

The role’s job description said the nurse will deal with challenges stemming from consanguinity, defined as being descended from the same ancestor.

The job advert said there were very few close-relationship marriage nurses in the UK, with the role serving as a two-year pilot.

The practice of first-cousin marriage between white British cousins is about one per cent.

But in three inner-city Bradford wards, a staggering 46 per cent of mothers from the Pakistani community were married to their first or second cousin, according to Born in Bradford data published three years ago.

Born in Bradford is a research project conducted by Bradford Institute for Health Research, which found having blood-related parents could increase health risks through recessive disorders, such as sickle cell disease or cystic fibrosis.

The research followed 13,500 babies born between 2007 and 2011.

Children of first cousins were found to have a third more primary care appointments than children whose parents were unrelated.

A child of first cousins carries a six per cent chance of inheriting recessive disorder, compared with three per cent for the general population.

Their research found first-cousin marriage was on the decline.

The share of parents who were first-cousins fell from 39 per cent in the late 2000s to 27 per cent in the late 2010s.

Professor John Wright, chief investigator on the Born in Bradford project said it was only recently the risks of first-cousin marriage were published.

He told the BBC: “When we talked to the families 10 years ago it was very clear that people weren't aware of the risks but like all parents they want to do their best for their children.

He added: “Education is the starting point and we've shown in Born in Bradford how powerful that is.”