London, 16 December 2025 – Resident doctors in England, formerly known as junior doctors, will proceed with a five-day strike starting Wednesday after overwhelmingly rejecting the government’s latest offer in a dispute over pay and training posts.
The British Medical Association (BMA) announced on Monday that 83.2% of its members voted against the deal proposed by Health Secretary Wes Streeting, on a turnout of 65%. The walkout will run from 7am on 17 December to 7am on 22 December, marking the 14th round of industrial action since March 2023.
The government’s offer included doubling additional specialty training places to 4,000 over three years and reimbursing expenses like exam fees, but crucially contained no further pay increase for 2025-26. Resident doctors have received pay rises totaling nearly 30% over the past three years, including 22% under the current Labour government, but the BMA argues real-terms pay has fallen around 20% since 2008 due to inflation.
Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA’s resident doctors committee, described the rejection as a clear message to Mr Streeting, accusing him of “fumbling” the chance to end the dispute. He insisted the strike remains “entirely avoidable” if the government addresses both the “jobs crisis” – with over 30,000 applicants competing for 10,000 training posts this year – and pay.
In a strongly worded response, Mr Streeting called the action “self-indulgent, irresponsible and dangerous”, warning it would inflict maximum damage on the NHS during a severe flu outbreak. He appealed directly to doctors to report for work, saying: “Abandoning your patients in their hour of greatest need goes against everything a career in medicine is meant to be about.”
The strike coincides with what NHS leaders describe as an “unprecedented flu wave”, with hospital flu cases reaching record levels for December – an average of 2,660 patients per day last week, up 55% in a week. A dominant H3N2 strain has driven early and severe infections, prompting warnings of a “worst-case scenario” winter crisis.
Hospitals have already begun cancelling tens of thousands of appointments and operations, with estimates of 38,500 outpatient treatments affected. NHS bosses fear further disruption to patient discharges and emergency care over the festive period.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer echoed concerns, saying he was “gutted” by the decision and that doctors risk losing public sympathy. Opposition figures, including Shadow Health Secretary Stuart Andrew, accused Labour of weakness in facing “militant unions”.
The BMA has urged Mr Streeting to return to negotiations, while NHS Providers called for calmer rhetoric and urged doctors to ensure safe staffing during the action.
Patients are advised to attend appointments unless contacted otherwise and to use services wisely amid heightened winter pressures.