Prime Minister Issues 48-Hour Ultimatum to BMA Over Doctor Strike
The prime minister has given the British Medical Association (BMA) 48 hours to call off the six-day strike planned by doctors after Easter in England or face the loss of 1,000 additional training posts.
Writing in The Times, Sir Keir Starmer criticised the doctors' union's recent decision to reject the government’s proposed deal and proceed with the 15th walkout in the ongoing dispute, describing it as "reckless." The BMA announced the strike amid news that doctors are set to receive a 3.5% pay rise this year.
The union contends that the proposed pay increase is insufficient, especially considering inflation is expected to rise due to the conflict with Iran. Additionally, the pay of resident doctors—formerly known as junior doctors—has not kept pace with inflation since 2008.
Training Posts and Pay Progression Included in Government Deal
The 1,000 additional training posts, scheduled to be created this year, are part of a broader package that aims to establish at least 4,000 extra specialty posts over the next three years under the government’s proposal. The deal also includes coverage of out-of-pocket expenses such as exam fees and a faster progression through the five resident doctor pay bands.
Negotiations have been ongoing since early January, following two strikes in November and December. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has consistently stated that further pay increases for resident doctors are not feasible after they received nearly 30% in raises over the past three years. The forthcoming 3.5% pay rise, effective in April, was recommended by the independent pay review body and applies to all doctors.
Starmer Urges BMA to Put Deal to Members
In his article in The Times, Starmer urged the BMA to present the deal to its members for a vote.
"Walking away from this deal is the wrong decision. It is a reckless decision. And doing so without even giving resident doctors themselves the chance to vote on it makes it even worse.
Because the truth is this: no one benefits from rejecting this deal."
The 48-hour deadline reflects the need to implement strike management measures, including the cancellation of appointments and treatments, ahead of the Easter weekend. Applications for the training posts, which commence in the summer, are also due to open soon.
BMA Responds to Government's Threat
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA resident doctor committee, responded to the threat of losing training posts, highlighting the existing pressures on the NHS.
"Removing potential posts at a time when 'corridor care and GP queues' are already putting the NHS under pressure is clearly bad for patients.
Creating posts and improving patient care should not be dependent on calling off a strike."
He added that if the government presented a "credible" offer, the strikes could be called off.
Details of the Upcoming Strike
The strike is scheduled to begin at 07:00 BST on Tuesday and will be the joint longest in the dispute's history; only once before have resident doctors participated in a six-day strike. Resident doctors constitute nearly half of the medics working in the NHS, with two-thirds being BMA members.
The two sides have engaged in intermittent talks over the past year. The BMA maintains that despite the pay rises over the last three years, resident doctors' pay remains approximately 20% lower than in 2008 when adjusted for inflation.
The union has also raised concerns about a shortage of training posts when doctors transition into specialist training at the start of year three, the stage at which they select their medical specialty, such as general practice or surgery. Last summer, there were 30,000 applicants for approximately 10,000 posts, including some doctors applying from abroad. This shortage has made the expansion of training posts a central issue in the negotiations.
