What question did this study set out to answer?

To explore the possibility of banning doctors' strikes in light of ongoing conflicts over pay and conditions in the NHS.

April 12, 2026Open Access

Doctors’ strikes: Streeting won’t rule out ban on industrial action

Puntos clave

To explore the possibility of banning doctors' strikes in light of ongoing conflicts over pay and conditions in the NHS.
Interview with Health Secretary Wes Streeting on public opinion about doctors' strikes.
Discussion of public sector workers' rights regarding strikes, comparing to police.
Statements from BMA representatives addressing the implications of a proposed ban.
Streeting acknowledged the option of banning doctors from striking but stated it has not been formally considered.
BMA argues that banning strikes is anti-democratic and counters the principle of a free society.
Previous considerations of banning doctors' strikes have occurred under past administrations.

Resumen

Banning doctors from striking hasn't been ruled out, Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said.In an interview with Good Morning Britain on 7 April, Streeting said that taking the right to strike away from doctors is an option but added that the government has "so far" not considered taking that step.He pointed to other public sector workers who are not allowed to strike, such as the police.He added that the BMA is "increasingly" making the argument that "doctors are indispensable to the NHS."The comments came as resident doctors in England held their 15th strike since March 2023.Responding to the suggestion of a ban on doctors' strikes, BMA Council deputy chair Emma Runswick said, "Doctors should have a right to strike, just like everyone else."Banning strikes is anti-democratic and at odds with any concept of a free British society.Gagging committed professionals when they sound the alarm about NHS crises will make the problems worse."The initial dispute between resident doctors and the government, which ran until September 2024, was over pay and working conditions and ended when doctors accepted a deal worth 22.3% on average over two years.The BMA Resident Doctors Committee then re-entered a formal dispute in April 2025, saying that the government had failed to uphold key aspects of the 2024 deal.The union has also raised concerns over the lack of training places and doctor unemployment. 1Earlier this month, the BMA announced that it would also be balloting consultants and specialist, associate specialist, and specialty doctors in England on industrial action over pay.The ballots are set to run from 11 May to 6 July. 2 The government says the strikes have so far cost NHS hospitals more than 3bn. 3This is not the first time politicians have suggested banning doctors' strikes.In 2016 Jeremy Hunt, then health secretary under a Conservative government, suggested that emergency care doctors should be banned from striking.In 2022, then prime minister Rishi Sunak also floated the idea.Last July the Conservative Party published a

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