Junior doctors announce fresh strikes after government 'failed to meet deadline'

Junior doctors will go on strike again later this month after the government "failed to improve pay".

They will walk out between February 24 and 28, the British Medical Association has announced.

Speaking ahead of the meeting, Rishi Sunak said “it is disappointing” that junior doctors “said no” to an offer of an “on average 10% pay rise”.

The union said the government had "failed to meet the deadline to put an improved pay offer on the table".

It added: "In a show of goodwill, the BMA provided the health secretary with an option to delay further strike action.

"She was asked to extend the current strike mandate for a short period - and thus allow talks to continue with the aim of achieving a resolution for this year's dispute.

"Disappointingly, she declined to agree to extend the mandate."

"We don’t have a magic money tree"

The BMA said the strikes could still be called off "if a credible offer is made".

Strikes by junior doctors in December caused around 86,000 appointments to be put back.

Sunak, during an appearance on This Morning, added: "We don’t have a magic money tree. And we have to be fair to everybody.

“A million other NHS workers have all actually come to a reasonable agreement with the Government.

"Every other bit of the public sector has come to a reasonable agreement. I think what we’ve done is fair, it’s reasonable, it’s been endorsed by an independent body.”

Medics on the BMA’s Junior Doctors Committee said that ministers had failed to put forward a credible offer before a pre-set deadline.