Junior doctors call five-day strike just before election

This will be the 11th walkout by junior doctors in this dispute after their first strike in March 2023.

It will see junior doctors walk out of all services, with senior doctors having to be drafted in to provide cover.

That will cause huge disruption to elective services, such as routine operations, days before the general election.

BMA junior doctors committee co-chairs Dr Robert Laurenson and Dr Vivek Trivedi said: “We made clear to the government that we would strike unless discussions ended in a credible pay offer.

“For more than 18 months we have been asking Rishi Sunak to put forward proposals to restore the pay junior doctors have lost over the past 15 years.”

They added: “When we entered mediation with government this month we did so under the impression that we had a functioning government that would soon be making an offer. Clearly no offer is now forthcoming. Junior doctors are fed up and out of patience.

“Even at this late stage Mr Sunak has the opportunity to show that he cares about the NHS and its workers.”