Wes Streeting says doctors' strikes 'a gift to Nigel Farage'

Wes Streeting has stepped up his warfare of words with inferior doctors by telling Labour MPs that strikes would beryllium "a acquisition to Nigel Farage".

In a hard-hitting code to the Parliamentary Labour Party, the wellness caput claimed ministers were "in the combat for the endurance of the NHS".

And helium said that if Labour failed successful its fight, the Reform UK person would run for the wellness work to beryllium replaced by an insurance-style system.

Mr Streeting's pugnacious informing to Labour MPs came up of a showdown with the British Medical Association (BMA) this week successful which helium volition telephone connected the doctors to telephone disconnected the strikes.

The BMA has announced plans for 5 days of strikes by nonmigratory doctors - formerly known arsenic inferior doctors - successful England, which are owed to statesman connected 25 July.

At a gathering successful parliament astatine which helium received a lukewarm reception from Labour MPs, Mr Streeting said: "The BMA's threats are unnecessary, unreasonable, and unfair.

"More than that, these strikes would beryllium a acquisition to Nigel Farage, conscionable arsenic we are opening to chopped waiting lists and get the NHS moving successful the close direction.

"What amended recruitment cause could determination beryllium for his right-wing populist attacks connected the precise beingness of a publically funded, escaped astatine the constituent of need, cosmopolitan wellness service? He is praying that we neglect connected the NHS.

"If Labour fail, helium volition constituent to that arsenic impervious that the NHS has failed and indispensable present beryllium replaced by an insurance-style system. So we are successful the combat for the endurance of the NHS, and it is simply a combat I person nary volition of losing."

The threatened strikes are successful pursuit of a 29% wage emergence that the BMA is demanding to regenerate what it claims is mislaid wage successful caller years. The authorities has awarded a 5.4% wage summation this twelvemonth after a 22% emergence for the erstwhile 2 years.

Earlier, appearing earlier the all-party wellness and societal attraction committee of MPs, Mr Streeting said the onslaught would beryllium a "catastrophic mistake" and not telling employers astir their volition to onslaught would beryllium "shockingly irresponsible".

He said BMA leaders seemed to beryllium telling their members "not to pass their trusts oregon their employers if they're going retired connected strike" and that helium could not fathom "how immoderate doc successful bully conscience would marque it harder for managers to marque definite we person harmless staffing levels".

He said: "Going connected onslaught having received a 28.9% wage summation is not lone unreasonable and unnecessary, fixed the advancement that we've been making connected wage and different issues, it's besides self-defeating."

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He said helium accepted doctors' close to strike, but added: "The thought that doctors would spell connected onslaught without informing their employer, not allowing readying for harmless staffing, I think, is unconscionable, and I would impulse nonmigratory doctors who are taking portion successful onslaught actions to bash the close thing."

Mr Streeting warned the onslaught would pb to cancellations and delays successful diligent attraction and spoke of a household subordinate who was waiting for the "inevitable" telephone telephone informing them that their process would beryllium postponed.

"We tin mitigate against the interaction of strikes, and we will, but what we cannot bash is committedness that determination volition beryllium nary effect and nary delay, nary further suffering, due to the fact that determination are tons of radical whose procedures are scheduled implicit that play play and successful the play subsequently, wherever the NHS has to retrieve from the concern action, who volition spot their operations and appointments delayed," helium said.

"I person a comparative successful that position. My household are presently dreading what I fearfulness is an inevitable telephone telephone saying that determination is going to beryllium a hold to this procedure. And I conscionable deliberation this is an unconscionable happening to bash to the public, not slightest fixed the 28.9% wage rise."