PM Gives BMA 48 Hours to Call Off Strike or Risk 1,000 Training Posts

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has set a 48-hour ultimatum for the British Medical Association (BMA), demanding the union either halt the six-day strike in England post-Easter or face the loss of 1,000 additional training positions. The decision to reject the proposed agreement, which included the 15th walkout in the ongoing dispute, was labeled “reckless” by the leader in his

Times

piece.

Announcing the strike, the BMA highlighted that while a 3.5% pay increase was agreed for doctors this year, it fell short due to rising inflation, driven by the conflict with Iran. The union emphasized that resident doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, have not seen pay adjustments aligned with inflation since 2008, despite receiving nearly 30% raises over the past three years. This gap has intensified the push for better compensation.

The government’s package aimed to create 4,000 speciality posts across the next three years, with 1,000 added this year. Additional benefits included covering out-of-pocket costs for exams and accelerating progression through pay bands. Talks had resumed in January following strikes in November and December, though the BMA’s rejection of the deal has now raised the stakes.

Health Secretary Wes Streeting asserted that he could not provide higher pay after the recent increases, which were endorsed by an independent review body. Starmer, however, urged the BMA to present the deal to its members, stating,

“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 stems from the timing of training post applications, which begin in the summer. To include these positions in the system, the government argues they must be finalized by April. The strike, scheduled to start at 07:00 BST on Tuesday, will mark the second longest in the dispute, following a previous six-day walkout. Resident doctors constitute nearly half of NHS medical staff, with two-thirds affiliated with the BMA.

Discussions over the past year have centered on resolving the pay and training dispute. The BMA insists that, even with three years of raises, resident doctors’ pay remains 20% below 2008 levels after adjusting for inflation. A key issue is the anticipated shortage of specialist training roles in the third year, as doctors choose their fields. Last summer, 30,000 applicants competed for around 10,000 positions, with some from overseas, underscoring the demand for these roles.

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