Doctors warned future pay offer won’t be better and are urged to reconsider strikes

• Health Secretary Wes Streeting has warned resident doctors that a future pay offer will not be better than the current one, setting a deadline for them to reconsider strike action.
• Resident doctors in England are scheduled to begin a joint-longest walkout on 7 April, marking their 15th strike since 2023.
• Mr Streeting accused the British Medical Association's (BMA) resident doctors committee of unilaterally rejecting a deal that would have seen an average 4.9% pay rise this year, without putting it to members.
• He cited the potential for a 'prolonged conflict' in Iran as a reason for future financial constraints, impacting any subsequent pay offers.
• Dr Jack Fletcher of the BMA stated that the committee rejected the offer due to concerns about further pay erosion and a significant real-terms pay cut since 2008, despite the Health Secretary's claims of a 35.2% improvement over four years.