Wes Streeting

It is as if the ghost of Christmas past has come to visit: one of my predecessors is here to remind the BMA of what it used to have to deal with. Perhaps the BMA will be a bit more content with the ghost of Christmas present—and that is before we are threatened by the ghost of Christmas future—[Laughter.] I am being slightly tongue in check, but the right hon. Gentleman asks a serious question, and I will treat it seriously. We put in evidence to the pay review body process. The pay review body will make its recommendation, which we will consider. We are in active discussions with Agenda for Change unions about whether we can reach an agreement on future years, including exploration of the prospect of a multi-year offer. I have made the same approach to all health unions, including the BMA and resident doctors. The challenge with resident doctors is that their expectations are some way from affordability. They are asking for a 24% pay rise on top of the 28.9% they have already had. That is not acceptable. As the right hon. Gentleman’s question implies, I have a responsibility to the entire NHS workforce, particularly the Agenda for Change staff, who have not done as well as doctors. Addressing that is not only a practical issue for me, but a moral one.