Resident doctors in England are set to walk out for four days in June after the British Medical Association (BMA) said talks with the new Health Secretary had failed to produce a breakthrough. The industrial action will begin at 7am on Monday, June 15, and conclude at 6.59am on Friday, June 19.
The announcement came shortly after the BMA held its first discussions with James Murray, who took over the health portfolio earlier this month following the resignation of Wes Streeting. The union warned that further strikes would be announced for July if no significant progress is made.
Mr Murray expressed disappointment at the BMA's decision, stating that he had hoped to build a productive relationship. He described the union's demands for additional pay increases as unrealistic, unaffordable, and unsustainable. He noted that resident doctors have already received a 33.4% pay rise over the past four years, the highest across the public sector.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA's resident doctors committee, said the union had hoped a change in leadership at the Department of Health and Social Care would bring a new approach. He accused the government of the same unwillingness to negotiate that they encountered under Mr Streeting. Dr Fletcher emphasised that the BMA's demands are straightforward: a credible pay offer and concrete commitments to address the jobs bottleneck affecting career progression.
The Health Secretary urged the BMA to step back from further damaging strikes and work in partnership with the government for the benefit of their members and the NHS. The last round of action by resident doctors, a six-day strike over Easter, marked the 15th walkout since 2023, with cumulative costs estimated to have exceeded £3 billion.
Mr Streeting had initially negotiated a deal to end strikes in 2024, but industrial action resumed in 2025. Before the April strike, he had offered a 4.9% increase in average basic pay from 2026 to 2027, which he claimed would leave resident doctors 35.2% better off than four years ago. That proposal also included 1,000 extra training places, but the offer was withdrawn due to the rising costs of strikes.
Resident doctor members of the BMA have a mandate for industrial action until August. The union is also balloting consultants and specialist, associate specialist, and specialty (SAS) doctors, with voting set to close on July 6.
