The child protection paediatrician David Southall plans to sue the General Medical Council for allegedly denying him a fair trial, he announced this week after the UK regulator threw out its only remaining case against him.

He claims that the GMC, which has brought three cases against him, breached article 6 of the European Convention on Human Rights, which guarantees the right to a fair trial within a reasonable time by an independent and impartial tribunal.

The move comes after a GMC decision not to rehear its only remaining case against Dr Southall, a year and nine months after the Court of Appeal sent it back to the GMC with a strong hint that it should be dropped.

The GMC’s decision to cancel the …