Felix Ngole Returns To Appeal Court Over Christian Beliefs Employment Case
Felix Ngole, A christian social worker has reportedly returned to the Court of Appeal situated in London as he continues his legal challenge against the withdrawal of a job offer after the employer discovered he publicly expressed his Christian beliefs.
The two-day court hearing began on this day, 28, September 2026, at the Royal Courts of Justice which is scheduled to continue on 29 September. The official judiciary listing there identifies the case as Ngole v Touchstone Leeds and says the appeal literally concerns questions surrounding discrimination, protected religious beliefs and the main reasons behind the employment decision.
The ongoing court issues are dated back to 2022, when Ngole applied for a mental-health support worker position with Touchstone Leeds, a charity which provides services to people experiencing mental-health issues or difficulties. After his interview, Ngole was offered the position subject to satisfactory references.
The job offer was shortly withdrawn after Touchstone became aware of reports concerning Ngole’s earlier legal case as well as his Christian views about marriage and sexuality. It’s also reported that, he was later invited to a second interview, during which the organisation sought assurances concerning how he would perform the role and support service users.
The Employment Tribunal therefore found out that Touchstone has a direct discrimination against Ngole when its initial first job offer was withdrawn. However, it also states that the charity was entitled to conduct the second interview and went further to decline to reinstate the offer.
Ngole who wasn’t satisfied appealed that decision. Sometimes in February 2026, the Employment Appeal Tribunal found out that the original tribunal had not properly analysed the different reasons given for the second interview and the subsequent decision not to reinstate the job offer. The EAT then ordered those issues to be reconsidered by the Employment Tribunal.
Ngole is currently asking the Court of Appeal to consider whether the existing findings are well sufficient to establish direct discrimination without another full tribunal hearing. In other ways, he is challenging the decision to return the matter to the same tribunal panel.
A central issue is the distinction between holding a religious belief and how a person might express or act upon that belief in a professional setting. The Employment Appeal Tribunal noted that an employer could legitimately consider whether an applicant would meet professional requirements, including supporting service users appropriately. At the same time, the court said that if treatment were based simply on concern about people reacting negatively to the applicant’s protected religious beliefs, different legal considerations would arise.
Ngole’s case has attracted attention from Christian organisations, including the Christian Legal Centre, which is supporting his appeal. The organisation describes the case as an important test concerning the protection of Christian beliefs in employment. Those are the organisation’s characterisations rather than findings of the court.
The case also follows Ngole’s earlier legal battle involving the University of Sheffield. In 2019, the Court of Appeal ruled in his favour after he had faced disciplinary action connected to comments expressing his Christian views during an online discussion.
The current Court of Appeal proceedings concern the separate dispute with Touchstone Leeds. The court’s decision will determine what happens next in the employment case, including whether the disputed issues return to the Employment Tribunal for further consideration.
