Resident doctors in England due to vote on extending strike mandate

LONDON (Reuters) – Resident doctors in England will vote on whether their powers to strike will be extended, the union said, adding that the long-running dispute with the government over wages and conditions continues.

The British Medical Association has told its members it will vote from 8 December 2025 to 2 February 2026 to extend its term, which expires in January, by a further six months.

Junior doctors, formerly known as junior doctors, staged a five-day strike this month and a further five-day strike in July after the government said it could not meet their demands for a better pay deal this year.

The BMA says the government’s 5.4 per cent pay offer does not truly address years of pay erosion, while the government says the deal is fair and affordable.

Last year the newly elected Labor government quickly agreed a 22% pay rise with doctors as part of its commitment to fix the NHS and in the hope of drawing a line to the long-running dispute.

The BMA is seeking a 29% increase this year to bring wages back to 2008 levels. Health secretary Wes Streeting wrote to the union this month insisting that “the huge financial pressures facing the country mean I cannot make any further progress on pay”.

(Reporting by Muvija ‌M; Editing by Alistair Smout)