Prime Minister Keir Starmer has given the British Medical Association (BMA) 48 hours to call off a six-day strike by junior doctors in England, warning that thousands of extra NHS training posts will be withdrawn if industrial action proceeds after Easter.
Writing in The Times, Starmer labelled the BMA's rejection of a pay deal as 'reckless' and urged the union to allow its members to vote on the offer. The deal included a pay rise of up to 7.1%, reforms to pay progression, reimbursement for Royal College exams, and an additional 4,500 speciality training places over three years, with 1,000 opening for applications this month.
Starmer said: 'Last week, the BMA resident doctors’ committee rejected a historic deal. They now have 48 hours to reconsider. For patients, for the NHS, and for the doctors they represent – they should.' He added that the training posts 'will be gone if this deal isn’t put to a vote on Thursday'.
The BMA's resident doctors committee rejected the offer without a member vote, demanding 'full pay restoration' to 2008 levels, equivalent to a 26% rise. Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the committee, said the government had 'shifted the goalposts' at the last minute and that threats were not a credible way to end the dispute. He expressed willingness to negotiate further.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting backed the Prime Minister, stating on X: 'The BMA seems surprised that if they reject the deal on offer and go on strike their members don’t get what the government is offering. We have time before Easter weekend to resolve this dispute. A deal on jobs and pay is on the table.'
