Wes Streeting Rejects Allegations of Last-Minute Pay Deal Alterations

Health Secretary Wes Streeting has firmly stated to the BBC that the government did not alter the existing agreement with resident doctors to conclude the ongoing labor disputes. He also mentioned his intention to engage with the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee for additional talks, but claimed the union had “point blank refused” to accept the terms.

“There’s a deal on the table that would have given them an average 4.9% increase this year, with 7.1% for those in the lowest pay brackets,” Streeting said during an interview with the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg programme.

Dr. Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee, responded by highlighting that one or two-year settlement proposals were under discussion. However, he noted that the government had abruptly insisted on a three-year agreement with “reduced investment” at the final stage. The current six-day walkout in England is set to end at 06:59 on Monday.

Fletcher reiterated that the BMA’s committee remains committed to dialogue, stating they are “open and willing to meet with the health secretary.” He also stressed that the BMA has “negotiated in good faith with a genuine desire to reach a resolution” throughout the conflict.

Streeting pointed out that resident doctors had received a 28.9% salary boost during the early weeks of the Labour government. Despite a cumulative 33% pay rise over the past four years, the BMA argues that doctors are still earning 25% less than in 2008 when adjusted for inflation.

“Either the BMA overlooked the specifics of the agreement or chose to attribute the changes to the government for simplicity,” Streeting added. “We’ve gone as far as we can, but I’m never going to shut the door to the BMA. I’m not pretending I’ve solved all of their problems in less than two years. The BMA needs to stop pretending I can, there has to be some give and take.”

The interview came hours after Streeting published a letter on X, expressing his “disappointment and frustration” about the latest walkout. In the letter, he noted that “most of the deal remains on the table,” but the financial and operational strain from the strikes made it impossible to allocate 1,000 of the 4,500 additional training positions to the current year.