British Medical Association (BMA) leaders have accused Prime Minister Keir Starmer of damaging the prospects of a deal to end the pay and jobs dispute with resident doctors by threatening to cut 1,000 new specialist training posts in the NHS. The claim came just before the Thursday deadline given by the government for the union to accept its final offer, with talks ongoing but little optimism on either side.

Barring a last-minute change, resident doctors in England will stage a six-day strike starting at 7am on Tuesday. The BMA's resident doctors committee rejected the government's detailed plan last week, which included a pledge to increase specialist medical training places by up to 4,500 over three years, with about 1,000 doctors due to start from August this year. However, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has told the BMA that those 1,000 extra slots will be scrapped unless the deal is accepted.

NHS bosses fear the strike will severely disrupt services, especially as it coincides with the Easter school holidays when many staff are off. Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA's resident doctors committee, wrote in a letter to the health secretary: "The political rhetoric – threatening to remove training places – coupled with the way the government has communicated the offer, has needlessly and avoidably inflamed the dispute, ultimately pushing the chance of a deal further away. A final offer followed by threats that parts of the offer may be withdrawn is not the way to end this dispute." He added that the threat has heightened fears among residents about progressing into specialist training this year.

Starmer wrote in The Times that the BMA would be reckless to reject the government's "historic deal," warning that rejection would mean resident doctors miss out on an above-inflation pay rise this year. The Department of Health and Social Care (DHSC) did not immediately respond to Fletcher's letter, which outlines unresolved issues including £700m in "progression pay" and the BMA's demand for pay deals until 2029 to counter inflation.

The BMA has escalated the conflict by deciding to ballot other hospital doctors, including consultants, about striking over "inadequate" pay and threatening coordinated strikes. A DHSC spokesperson said: "It is disappointing that the BMA has decided to press ahead with strikes next week, despite conversations we have been having in recent days in a bid to protect the NHS from strikes. This government offered resident doctors a generous deal to improve their pay, career progression and working lives that would have seen resident doctors on average 35.2% better off than they were four years ago."

Source: www.theguardian.com