A Decade of Standing Firm
Felix Ngole | Executive Committee Member | Social Worker
The Situation
Felix Ngole’s story begins not in the UK, but in Cameroon — where he experienced religious persecution firsthand before fleeing to Britain. He came to this country carrying a deep faith, a commitment to serving others, and a belief that the United Kingdom stood for the kind of freedom that would allow him to live and work with integrity.
He chose social work because he wanted to help people. He excelled. He built a career dedicated to supporting some of the most vulnerable members of society — including, as he has consistently stated, individuals from LGBT backgrounds. By every professional measure, he was exactly the kind of person the social work profession needs.
He also believed, as an orthodox Christian, that marriage is the union of one man and one woman. He said so — publicly, in a Facebook debate in 2015 about the case of a Kentucky marriage registrar. He quoted the Bible. He engaged honestly in a public conversation about a public issue.
What followed was a decade-long battle through some of the highest courts in the land.
The Challenge – Part One: The University of Sheffield
In February 2016, Felix was expelled from his social work course at the University of Sheffield after quoting Bible verses on Facebook that were deemed critical of homosexuality. He was considered “unfit to practise” — not because of anything he had done in his professional conduct, but because of what he had said in a personal online discussion.
Felix challenged the decision. He argued at the High Court in 2017 that the university had implemented an “appalling double standard” in its treatment of his Christian beliefs. The High Court ruled against him.
He did not stop. In July 2019, the Court of Appeal overturned the High Court’s decision — upholding the rights of Christians to freely express their faith. The court ruled that the mere expression of religious views about sin does not necessarily constitute discrimination, and that Felix had never been shown to have acted in a discriminatory fashion in his professional conduct.
It was a landmark victory. And Felix thought — perhaps — it was over.
It was not.
The Challenge – Part Two: Touchstone Leeds
In May 2022, Felix applied for a role as a Mental Health Support Worker. He was the best performing candidate at the interview, achieving the highest marks of any applicant on the equality and diversity assessment. He was offered the job.
Then the employer searched his name online.
On 10 June 2022, Touchstone Support Leeds — an NHS-backed mental health charity — withdrew the job offer after finding out about Felix’s previous free speech case. He was told that unless he committed to “promoting and embracing” LGBT ideology, he would not be employed.
The man who had won at the Court of Appeal for the right to hold his beliefs was being told those same beliefs made him unemployable. The man who had scored highest on the diversity assessment was being excluded on diversity grounds. The man who had spent his career serving vulnerable people — including LGBT people — was being told his Christianity was a safeguarding risk.
In a striking moment during the subsequent tribunal hearing, Touchstone’s Head of Operations claimed that even quoting John 3:16 could be “triggering” for service users — and that expressing the belief that there are only two genders “could lead to death.”
Felix took the case to the Employment Tribunal. A panel member, a former President of the TUC with a documented history of strong advocacy for LGBTQI+ rights, was forced to recuse himself due to a “real possibility of bias.”
In July 2024, the Employment Tribunal ruled that Felix had been directly discriminated against when his job offer was withdrawn. However, in a confused and contradictory ruling, the judge then concluded that Touchstone was nevertheless justified in not reinstating the offer — citing speculative concerns about reputational damage and the potential mental health impact on service users who might discover his beliefs online.
Felix was told he had been discriminated against — and then told the discrimination was acceptable. He appealed.
Our Support
Throughout every stage of this extraordinary decade-long journey — from the University of Sheffield to the Court of Appeal, from the Employment Tribunal to the Employment Appeal Tribunal — Felix has been supported by the Christian Legal Centre, from which NCTU was born.
The support has been relentless, because the case has demanded it. Legal representation, expert witnesses, public advocacy, and the sustained backing of a community that has refused to let Felix’s story be buried.
Felix has said of his experience: “I was once an asylum seeker. I had no job, no home. But those in my community treated me with great kindness. The UK then was a bastion of free speech and expression. I never imagined I would face these pressures here.”
He did not face them alone. And that has made the difference between giving up and pressing on.
The Outcome
On 16 February 2026, the Employment Appeal Tribunal ruled in Felix’s favour — finding that dismissing him for his Christian beliefs on marriage would be discriminating against those beliefs in a manner that is “not capable of justification.”
The ruling confirmed what should always have been clear: that a Christian social worker cannot be barred from employment simply because an employer discovers, by searching online, that he holds orthodox biblical beliefs — beliefs he has never been shown to have imposed on any service user, colleague, or client.
The Employment Appeal Tribunal directed the Employment Tribunal to analyse the key issues again. Felix is appealing further parts of the ruling to the Court of Appeal, with the ongoing support of the Christian Legal Centre.
The fight is not yet over. But the direction of travel is clear — and Felix has not wavered.
Why It Matters
Felix’s case spans more than a decade, two institutions, and three levels of court. It has produced landmark rulings on Christian free speech, challenged the misuse of so-called “minority stress theory” as a tool for discriminating against Christians, and established that holding a biblical view of marriage cannot — in and of itself — make a person unfit for professional employment.
But behind the legal significance is a human story of extraordinary resilience. A man who fled persecution. Who studied through the worst institutional setbacks. Who qualified as a social worker after being told he never would. Who was offered his dream job — and had it taken away for being a Christian.
Felix has said: “I do this work because I love people. No one has ever told me I have not treated them well in my professional experience. I have never been accused of forcing my beliefs on anyone. I have supported vulnerable individuals from all backgrounds, including LGBT. It is untenable for employers to be allowed to discriminate against Christians in this way.”
He is right. And that is why NCTU exists.
Felix joined the Executive Committee because he has lived this story — at every stage, in every courtroom, through every setback and every vindication. He knows what it costs to stand firm. He knows what it means to have people standing with you. And he has committed the rest of his professional life to ensuring that Christians in the UK workplace are never left to fight alone.
“If God is for us, who can be against us?” — Romans 8:31
Facing challenges at work because of your faith?
Join NCTU and be supported by people who understand the process, know your rights, and will stand beside you — professionally, pastorally, and with conviction.