Resident Doctors Begin Longest Strike Yet As Streeting Accuses Bma Of Hypocrisy Over Pay – uk Politics Live

Good morning. Resident doctors successful English hospitals started a six-day onslaught astatine 7am this morning. Many of them will proceed to work, but location will beryllium capable of them joining nan onslaught to person a important effect connected nan attraction hospitals tin deliver. It is nan 15th resident doctors (who utilized to beryllium known arsenic inferior doctors) person been connected shape since they launched a run successful 2023 to get their salary backmost to nan balanced level it utilized to beryllium earlier austerity kicked successful aft nan financial crash.

This greeting Wes Streeting, nan wellness secretary, deployed a caller statistic successful his PR conflict against nan BMA, nan doctors’ national organised nan strikes. He confirmed a fig highlighted successful the Daily Mail’s splash saying strikes by resident doctors person now costs nan state £3bn.

In an question and reply pinch nan Today programme, asked if that was an charismatic authorities figure, Streeting replied:

double quotation markWe deliberation that strikes costs £50m a day. And truthful that is, an meticulous reflection of nan costs of these strikes.

But, erstwhile it was put to him nan BMA is saying that £3bn is astir what it would person costs to springiness nan resident doctors nan salary emergence they are demaning, Streeting would not judge this. He replied:

double quotation markWhat is existent is that successful bid to present a afloat salary restoration backmost to 2008 levels, utilizing nan RPI relationship of inflation, it would costs successful nan bid of £3bn a year.

Let’s past presume that different NHS unit would understandably request nan same. Then that costs would beryllium much for illustration £30bn a year. That is much than nan full costs of nan Ministry of Justice’s full fund for moving nan criminal justness system.

Now, this goes to nan bosom of nan intransigence of nan BMA. Despite being nan biggest victor by a state mile of nationalist assemblage salary increases – since this authorities came in, 28.9% is what they sewage from america – wrong weeks of taking office, they still went retired connected strike.

Andrew Gregory and Peter Walker person much from what Streeting has been saying astir nan onslaught here.

I will station much from Streeting’s broadcast interviews this greeting shortly.

Here is nan schedule for nan day.

7am: Resident doctors started a six-day onslaught successful England. (Rather, immoderate of them did – successful nan past, galore doctors person chosen to activity alternatively than to subordinate nan BMA strike.)

9.15am: John Swinney, SNP leader and Scottish first minister, holds a run arena focused connected substance prices. Anas Sarwar, nan Scottish Labour leader, is holding a run arena focused connected pothole argumentation (at 9.30am), and Russell Findlay, nan Scottish Conservative leader, is launching his manifesto (at 2pm).

11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing.

Morning: Ed Davey, nan Lib Dem leader, is campaigning successful Newcastle.

12.30pm: Nigel Farage, nan Reform UK leader, is holding a property convention successful Warwickshire.

Afternoon: Military planners from astir 35 countries interested successful plans to support nan strait of Hormuz unfastened aft nan Iran warfare ends meet to talk options astatine nan UK’s Permanent Joint Headquarters successful Northwood, north-west London.

If you want to interaction me, please station a connection beneath nan statement erstwhile comments are unfastened (between 10am and 3pm), aliases connection maine connected societal media. I can’t publication each nan messages BTL, but if you put “Andrew” successful a connection aimed astatine me, I americium much apt to spot it because I hunt for posts containing that word.

If you want to emblem thing up urgently, it is champion to usage societal media. You tin scope maine connected Bluesky astatine @andrewsparrowgdn.bsky.social. The Guardian has given up posting from its charismatic accounts connected X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still person my account, and if you connection maine location astatine @AndrewSparrow, I will spot it and respond if necessary.

I find it very adjuvant erstwhile readers constituent retired mistakes, moreover insignificant typos. No correction is excessively mini to correct. And I find your questions very absorbing too. I can’t committedness to reply to them all, but I will effort to reply to arsenic galore arsenic I can, either BTL aliases sometimes successful nan blog.