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Resident doctors across England have begun a five-day strike after talks between the British Medical Association (BMA) and the government failed to produce a pay agreement.
Around 50,000 doctors walked out at 7am, with the strike expected to continue until 7am on Wednesday, 30 July. Despite the industrial action, NHS England has urged the public to continue seeking care, confirming that GP surgeries will remain open and that emergency services, including A&E and NHS 111, are still operating.
Labour leader Keir Starmer made a last-ditch plea to doctors, warning that the strike would have serious consequences. Writing in The Times, he stated: “The path the BMA’s resident doctors committee has taken will lead to losses for everyone. I urge doctors not to follow this destructive course. The NHS and your patients rely on you.” He also claimed that most people do not support the strikes due to the potential harm they may cause.
Tensions between NHS leaders and the BMA have escalated in recent weeks. The BMA argues that resident doctors (previously called junior doctors) have seen their pay decline far more significantly in real terms since 2008–09 compared to others. They are demanding a 29% pay rise to restore wages to previous levels.
Health Secretary Wes Streeting said the strike “seriously weakens the wider trade union movement.” In a Guardian article, he criticized the BMA for calling new strikes even after receiving a 22% pay increase covering 2023–24 and 2024–25, calling the action “unreasonable and without precedent.”
Streeting also sent a personal letter to striking doctors expressing his regret over the situation. While he said no further pay increases could be promised, he reaffirmed his commitment to improving their working conditions.
The BMA has placed ads in national newspapers to highlight the pay gap between doctors and their non-medical assistants. According to the BMA, a newly qualified doctor earns £18.62 per hour, whereas a doctor’s assistant with no medical degree earns over £24 per hour.
The BMA claimed that Streeting’s refusal to hold talks during the strike days and his letter to doctors lacked any firm commitments on pay.
Speaking to BBC Radio 4, BMA chair Tom Dolphin criticized the Labour government’s tough stance against unions. He said, “Last year’s settlement was a positive step, but this government has since backtracked. There are talks of punishing striking doctors by restricting training or locum shifts — which would be unlawful. If such cases arise, we’ll defend our members.”
He added it was “disheartening” to hear such rhetoric from a Labour-led administration
