London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Thursday, Sep 18, 2025

Junior doctors strike to go ahead after talks with Government fail

Junior doctors strike to go ahead after talks with Government fail

British Medical Association representatives branded talks with Health Secretary Steve Barclay ‘disappointing’

A strike by junior doctors will go ahead later this month after a union described a meeting with Health Secretary Steve Barclay as “disappointing”.

The British Medical Association said that talks with the Cabinet minister were “just a façade”, claiming that Mr Barclay had not been given a mandate to negotiate a pay rise.

Members of the BMA are set to walk out for 72 hours from March 13 in a dispute over pay. It comes amid ongoing strikes by paramedics and physiotherapists, though nursing strikes have been paused while the Royal College of Nursing holds “intensive” talks over pay with the Government.

Co-chairs of the British Medical Association (BMA) junior doctors’ committee Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trevedi, called Mr Barclay a “professional delayer” after talks at the Department of Health broke down on Thursday afternoon.

Dr Laurenson said: “We came here with a mandate and he turned up without one, there was never any real prospect of any real negotiation or offer – it was just a facade.”

With 11 days to go until the 72-hour walkout, he claimed that Mr Barclay did not offer any sort of time frame for negotiations.

He added: “The Government aren’t taking us seriously.

“I don’t understand how the Government can look at a mandate that’s one of the strongest industrial mandates in history and essentially not have any preparations made or anything to put on the table.”

Co-chairs of the BMA’s junior doctors’ committee Vivek Trivedi (left) and Rob Laurenson speak to media at the Department of Health


Dr Laurenson said that BMA members would call off strike action if the Government offered a “meaningful” pay rise.

“You’ve got paramedics, nurses, physiotherapists and doctors all coming to the same moral calculation. This is not some sort of money grab, this is about making sure that we can fix the workforce crisis that is all across the NHS and pay is a fundamental aspect of that.”

Meanwhile, other health unions are considering an invitation from the Government to enter formal pay talks through the NHS staff council.

Sara Gorton, who is chairwoman of the union group on the NHS staff council and Unison’s head of health, said: “Health unions will need to clarify the basis upon which talks can get under way through the NHS staff council.

“This includes understanding the status of the unilateral talks that have taken place with the Royal College of Nursing (RCN).”

Matthew Taylor, chief executive of the NHS Confederation, said: "Healthcare leaders will welcome the news that the government has offered to open talks with all unions involved in the strikes.

"We have been calling for the government time and again to open negotiations with all unions and this is a very positive step in the right direction.

"We would hope that all trade unions representing healthcare professionals across the NHS accept this olive branch from the government and are prepared to come to the table with the aim of reaching a compromise with the government as quickly as possible."

A Department of Health and Social Care spokesperson said: “The Health and Social Care Secretary met with the BMA today to discuss pay, career progression and working conditions.

“He reiterated the government is happy to continue discussing what is fair and affordable, recognising the vital role junior doctors play and the wider economic pressures facing the UK.”

Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
US Tech Giants Pledge Billions to UK AI Infrastructure Following Starmer's Call
Saudi Arabia cracks down on music ‘lounges’ after conservative backlash
DeepMind and OpenAI Achieve Gold at ‘Coding Olympics’ in AI Milestone
SEC Allows Public Companies to Block Investors from Class-Action Lawsuits
Saudi Arabia Signs ‘Strategic Mutual Defence’ Pact with Pakistan, Marking First Arab State to Gain Indirect Access to Nuclear Strike Capabilities in the Region
Federal Reserve Cuts Rates by Quarter Point and Signals More to Come
Effective and Impressive Generation Z Protest: Images from the Riots in Nepal
European manufacturers against ban on polluting cars: "The industry may collapse"
Sam Altman sells the 'Wedding Estate' in Hawaii for 49 million dollars
Trump: Cancel quarterly company reports and settle for reporting once every six months
Turkish car manufacturer Togg Enters German Market with 5-Star Electric Sedan and SUV to Challenge European EV Brands
US Launches New Pilot Program to Accelerate eVTOL Air Taxi Deployment
Christian Brueckner Released from German Prison after Serving Unrelated Sentence
World’s Longest Direct Flight China Eastern to Launch 29-Hour Shanghai–Buenos Aires Direct Flight via Auckland in December
New OpenAI Study Finds Majority of ChatGPT Use Is Personal, Not Professional
Hong Kong Industry Group Calls for HK$20 Billion Support Fund to Ease Property Market Stress
Joe Biden’s Post-Presidency Speaking Fees Face Weak Demand amid Corporate Reluctance
Charlie Kirk's murder will break the left's hateful cancel tactics
Kash Patel erupts at ‘buffoon’ Sen. Adam Schiff over Russiagate: ‘You are the biggest fraud’
Homeland Security says Emmy speech ‘fanning the flames of hatred’ after Einbinder’s ‘F— ICE’ remark
Charlie Kirk’s Alleged Assassin Tyler Robinson Faces Death Penalty as Charges Formally Announced
Actor, director, environmentalist Robert Redford dies at 89
The conservative right spreads westward: a huge achievement for 'Alternative for Germany' in local elections
JD Vance Says There Is “No Unity” with Those Who Celebrate Charlie Kirk’s Killing, and he is right!
Trump sues the 'New York Times' for an astronomical sum of 15 billion dollars
Florida Hospital Welcomes Its Largest-Ever Baby: Annan, Nearly Fourteen Pounds at Birth
U.S. and Britain Poised to Finalize Over $10 Billion in High-Tech, Nuclear and Defense Deals During Trump State Visit
China Finds Nvidia Violated Antitrust Laws in Mellanox Deal, Deepens Trade Tensions with US
US Air Force Begins Modifications on Qatar-Donated Jet Amid Plans to Use It as Air Force One
Pope Leo Warns of Societal Crisis Over Mega-CEO Pay, Citing Tesla’s Proposed Trillion-Dollar Package
Poland Green-Lights NATO Deployment in Response to Major Russian Drone Incursion
Elon Musk Retakes Lead as World’s Richest After Brief Ellison Surge
U.S. and China Agree on Framework to Shift TikTok to American Ownership
London Daily Podcast: London Massive Pro Democracy Rally, Musk Support, UK Economic Data and Premier League Results Mark Eventful Weekend
This Week in AI: Meta’s Superintelligence Push, xAI’s Ten Billion-Dollar Raise, Genesis AI’s Robotics Ambitions, Microsoft Restructuring, Amazon’s Million-Robot Milestone, and Google’s AlphaGenome Update
Le Pen Tightens the Pressure on Macron as France Edges Toward Political Breakdown
Musk calls for new UK government at huge pro-democracy rally in London, but Britons have been brainwashed to obey instead of fighting for their human rights
Elon Musk responds to post calling for the murder of Erika Kirk, widow of Charlie Kirk: 'Either we fight back or they will kill us'
Czech Republic signs €1.34 billion contract for Leopard 2A8 main battle tanks with delivery from 2028
USA: Office Depot Employees Refused to Print Poster in Memory of Charlie Kirk – and Were Fired
Proposed U.S. Bill Would Allow Civil Suits Against Judges Who Release Repeat Violent Offenders
Penske Media Sues Google Over “AI Overviews,” Claiming It Uses Journalism Without Consent and Destroys Traffic
Indian Student Engineers Propose “Project REBIRTH” to Protect Aircraft from Crashes Using AI, Airbags and Smart Materials
French Debt Downgrade Piles Pressure on Macron’s New Prime Minister
US and UK Near Tech, Nuclear and Whisky Deals Ahead of Trump Trip
One in Three Europeans Now Uses TikTok, According to the Chinese Tech Giant
Could AI Nursing Robots Help Healthcare Staffing Shortages?
NATO Deploys ‘Eastern Sentry’ After Russian Drones Violate Polish Airspace
Anesthesiologist Left Operation Mid-Surgery to Have Sex with Nurse
Tens of Thousands of Young Chinese Get Up Every Morning and Go to Work Where They Do Nothing
×