NHS: Winter Preparedness

Joe Robertson Excerpts

Monday 15th December 2025 Commons Chamber

[Wes Streeting]

I thank my hon. Friend for his support and questions. We will indeed reflect on our performance after this winter, just as we did after last winter. He raised interesting points about the way in which we deliver vaccines. As for the questions about eligibility and timing, we rely on the expert advice of the JCVI, which will also look at the data on how this winter has panned out. We look forward to receiving its recommendations in due course.

[Joe Robertson (Isle of Wight East) (Con)]

The Secretary of State says that the strikes come at a time of maximum danger for the NHS and has called on the junior doctors to call off the strikes. I agree with him, but will he accept at least some responsibility for the second round of strikes on his watch? Last year he conceded a bumper pay deal to the same junior doctors with no strings attached. It is hardly surprising that they judge him a soft touch on pay and have come back for more this year.

[Wes Streeting]

Regardless of the result today, I think that the BMA is finding that I am not a soft touch and that we will not accede to a completely unreasonable and unaffordable demand. The reason we made that pay award within weeks of coming into government was that we did not think that the BMA’s treatment at the hands of our predecessors had been fair, and we recognised the issues that it was raising on pay. Indeed, the irony of this round of strikes, and previous rounds of strikes under this Government, is that I recognise that whether it is about pay, jobs or working conditions, resident doctors make a whole series of fair and reasonable points, and we are doing our best to address those.

I think that 28.9% is a meaningful step in the right direction on pay. Our offer of emergency legislation, which is unusual in this House, would make a real difference, reducing competition for jobs from 4:1 to less than 2:1—but the BMA has rejected that course of action. In the end, I think that people will judge the BMA’s actions to be unreasonable. Of course the issues that it raises are serious and substantial, but we see similar issues raised not just across the NHS but across the entire public sector.

We cannot fix everything for everyone everywhere all at once. Most reasonable people accept that; for reasons I cannot understand, the BMA does not.