Badenoch Demands Ban on Doctor Strikes Amid NHS Crisis and £3bn Cost
Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has called on ministers to ban doctors from striking, accusing them of betraying patients with another round of walkouts. Writing for the Daily Mail, Badenoch argues that medical professionals' roles are so critical they should be subject to the same restrictions as police and military personnel.
Streeting Warns of £30bn Annual Cost from Pay Demands
This comes as Health Secretary Wes Streeting accused the British Medical Association of attempting to fleece the public with pay demands that could cost taxpayers £30 billion a year. Streeting admitted the six-day strike, which started at 7am today, will leave some patients waiting in pain or anxiety longer than is necessary as appointments are cancelled.
Resident doctors—previously known as junior doctors—have already cost NHS hospitals £3 billion in lost activity and overtime payments to covering colleagues since 2023. However, Streeting warned it would cost ten times more annually if he caved into their unreasonable demands, as every other NHS worker would expect the same treatment.
Growing Public Opposition to Strikes
Doctors have now taken to picket lines on 60 days across 15 rounds of strikes, with each day burning through £50 million of NHS funds. The total spent to date could have built multiple hospitals or delivered millions of appointments, potentially slashing NHS waiting lists faster, Streeting noted.
New YouGov polling, conducted on Tuesday, found a growing number of British adults oppose resident doctors striking, with opposition climbing from 33% in April 2023 to 55% now. Only 37% currently support the action, according to the survey of 4,385 adults in Great Britain.
BMA's Pay Demands and Government Response
The BMA is pursuing a 26% pay rise on top of the 28.9% resident doctors have received over the past three years. The union claims this would cost around £3 billion annually, but Streeting countered that if other NHS staff demanded the same, the cost would balloon to £30 billion—more than the entire Ministry of Justice budget for running the criminal justice system.
Badenoch, whose father was a GP, criticised Labour for caving in too easily with previous pay demands and giving doctors more money with no strings attached. She stated: The Conservatives have had enough. If the BMA refuses to act reasonably, the government must step in to ensure the safety of patients.
Patient Impact and Union Stance
NHS England admitted this week's walkout—the longest so far—will be difficult but stressed services remain open. Patients should continue to attend A&E and dial 999 or 111 as usual, and attend scheduled appointments unless contacted otherwise.
One patient, Adrian Emery, 55, from Nottinghamshire, whose appointment was cancelled, expressed worry after having mini-strokes. He said: I'm very worried... I hope I don't have a full stroke before I am seen.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of BMA's resident doctors committee, responded: I'm genuinely very sorry... we feel like we had no choice. We gave the government several opportunities to avoid it, and they chose not to.
Political Divisions and Future Measures
Badenoch pledged to ban resident doctors and consultants from striking, similar to restrictions on police and armed forces, and reintroduce Minimum Service Levels across the NHS. She argued this is not anti-doctor, it's pro-patient, accusing Labour of choosing unions over patients.
Streeting highlighted hypocrisy, noting the BMA gave its own staff a 2.75% rise on affordability grounds while rejecting a 4.9% government offer. He said: The BMA aren't willing to put their hands in their own pockets... but they're very happy to try and fleece your viewers.
The BMA's resident doctors committee recently rejected a deal that would have taken medics' pay rises over three years to 35% and created thousands of new specialty training places. Acceptance could have seen some earning over £100,000 annually, with first-year doctors starting on around £52,000.
