The case of a former magistrate who's views on gay adoption saw him removed from the judiciary and removed from his post in the NHS is "crying out to be heard."

That's the view of an employment tribunal judge who today presided over a preliminary hearing into Mr Page's dismissal from Kent and medway NHS and Social Care Partnership Trust's (KMPT) board of directors last August.

The 69-year-old, of Grigg Lane, Headcorn, made comments behind closed doors during an adoption case in 2014 that a child should be brought up by a man and a woman and not a same sex couple.

He went on to express his Christian views in a number of media interviews including one with Piers Morgan which resulted in the outspoken host being reported to Ofcom.

The father-of-three was initially suspended pending an investigation in March, weeks after he was removed from his post as a magistrate for Maidstone and Sevenoaks.

An NHS panel unanimously decided it was not in the interests of the health service for the father-of-three, who had worked in the field of mental health for 20 years, to continue as a non-executive director.

Today Mr Page attended an initial hearing where the NHS argued the case should be struck out.

But Judge Downs said: "My instinct is that this is a case which is crying out to be heard".

Pavel Stroilov, representing Mr Page, said the NHS discriminated against Mr Page because of his faith and philosophical belief it is in the best interests of a child to have a married mother and father

Andrea Williams, chief executive of the Christian Legal Centre which is supporting Mr Page, said:"This is remarkable. Before Christmas Theresa May said Christians should be free to express their faith in the workplace. Since then we have seen the suggestion that public office holders swear an oath to 'British values', and Dame Louise Casey has said that 'it is not OK for Catholic schools to be homophobic and anti gay marriage'.

"The NHS has made it clear that it thinks Richard Page is not fit to hold public office.

"We need to understand what is happening here. Christians are being excluded from public office because of what they believe. If this continues Richard will not be the last Christian to be barred from serving his community."

A date for the full tribunal is to be set.