Row erupts after Keir Starmer accuses medics of ‘walking away’ from deal

The Prime Minister has accused resident doctors of “recklessly” walking away from a Government pay deal without putting it to members for a vote.

But the British Medical Association (BMA) said that the Government had “moved the goalposts on the deal at the last minute”.

The union said that it was seeking to talk with the Government on Tuesday with “every intention of achieving a meaningful outcome that could see the strikes called off”.

Sir Keir Starmer gave the resident doctors committee of the BMA a 48-hour deadline to reconsider the offer, which would have seen medics given a pay rise of 35% over three years.

Resident doctors in England are planning to strike for six days from April 7 in the ongoing row over jobs and pay.

NHS leaders have said the strike action, which coincides with the Easter holiday, will be “challenging”.

Writing in The Times, the Prime Minister said patients would be left “paying the price”.

He said the offer was made after “months of collaboration with the BMA”.

Sir Keir wrote: “That is why walking away from this deal is the wrong decision. It is reckless. And doing so without even giving resident doctors the chance to vote on it makes it worse.

“Because the truth is this: no one benefits from rejecting this deal.”

He said resident doctors, the NHS and patients will be “worse off”, highlighting that each strike costs the health service £250 million.

“Progress slows. Waiting times fall more slowly. Pressure on staff increases,” he added.

“That is what makes this so frustrating — and so completely avoidable.

“So I say this to the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee: reconsider.

“Give members a say and put this deal to a vote.

“Failing to do so will mean resident doctors are left with less, the NHS is weakened, and patients pay the price.

“To resident doctors, I say this: make your voice heard. This deal improves your pay, your progression and your future. Do not let others decide for you.

“There are still 48 hours left to choose a better path. For patients, the NHS, and our doctors — I urge you to take it.”

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA resident doctors committee, said: “The Government made very late changes to the pay offer, reducing the pay investment and stretching it over a longer period in a way that had not been previously talked about.

“Ministers effectively moved the goalposts on the deal at the last minute.

“But these negotiations are not about arbitrary cut-offs as the Prime Minister seems to think.

“Any ‘deadline’ disappears the moment there is a credible and sustainable offer on the table.

“Our focus remains on getting a good deal for both doctors and for patients, and we are seeking to talk once again with the Government later today with every intention of achieving a meaningful outcome that could see the strikes called off and a pay deal we can support.”

Dr Fletcher told BBC Radio 4’s Today programme that the dispute “will end in a negotiating room” adding: “I’m very happy to sit down with the Government at any point to try and negotiate a settlement, but I don’t think that’s done by writing in newspapers and issuing threats unilaterally.”

Asked if he was initially in favour of putting the pay offer to members, Dr Fletcher said: “Two weeks ago, the Government took that investment, reduced it, and then stretched it over three years.

“That is a very, very, very different outcome to the one that we were discussing just two weeks ago.”

He added: “I’ve been really clear to the Health Secretary in person last week that this does not represent a credible offer, and it does not go far enough.”

It comes after Mike Prentice, national director for emergency planning at NHS England, said that the timing of the action will lead to “significant strain”.

In a letter to health leaders, he wrote: “We expect this round to be challenging as there is a shorter notice period, bank holidays within the notice period and the action itself falling during the Easter holidays.

“This will represent a significant strain on staffing resources to provide safe cover.”

The walk out, which is due to start at 7am on April 7 and run until 6.59am on April 13, will be the 15th round of strikes by resident doctors in England since 2023.