British Prime Minister Keir Starmer has urged the union representing resident doctors in England to rethink a proposed pay and workforce agreement, setting a 48-hour deadline for acceptance. He warned that the upcoming strikes would negatively impact both doctors and patients.
In a letter published in the Times, Starmer criticized the British Medical Association (BMA) for refusing to put the government’s offer to a vote among its members. The BMA has announced six days of strikes scheduled from April 7 to April 13, following their rejection of the proposal last week. The union contends that the government’s offer does not adequately address the long-term erosion of pay and the ongoing staffing challenges within the National Health Service (NHS).
Starmer described the decision to reject the deal as “reckless,” emphasizing that the offer included an above-inflation pay increase this year and would amount to approximately a 35% total pay rise over three years. The package also proposed reforms to pay progression aimed at consistently rewarding experience.
“Walking away from this deal is the wrong decision,” Starmer wrote. “And doing so without even giving resident doctors themselves the chance to vote on it makes it even worse.” The agreement also covered reimbursement for mandatory exam fees, which can cost doctors thousands during their training, and the creation of up to 4,500 additional specialty training posts over three years.
Starmer urged the BMA committee to allow members to vote on the offer, warning that failure to do so would mean losing these opportunities. The BMA, representing around 55,000 resident doctors—nearly half of the medical workforce—argues that the proposed pay rise falls short of inflation and that the phased pay progression could lead to further real-terms losses.
Responding to Starmer’s remarks, Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee, stated that the dispute is “not about arbitrary cut-offs.” He added that any imposed deadline would become irrelevant once a credible and sustainable offer is presented. Fletcher confirmed that the union plans to resume negotiations with the government on Tuesday, aiming to reach an agreement that could prevent the strikes.
