Wes Streeting

I have lost count of the number of times I have met the BMA personally, or spoken on the telephone, including as recently as this afternoon, with the chair of the resident doctors committee and his predecessors. Of course, we are always willing to consider bringing in people who can help to close the gap between those on either side of the table. In the past, the BMA has not been too fond of ACAS. We will let this round of strikes pass. Our first priority now has to be managing our way through this period and recovering the NHS into the new year. There will then, by my reckoning, be at least six weeks without strikes, and of course we will do our best to resolve the situation with the BMA. I would just say to my hon. Friend, to the House and to the BMA that there really is not much further for the Government to go. We have given a 28.9% pay rise already. The BMA wants to talk about future years’ pay, but we have not even had a recommendation from the Doctors and Dentists Review Body. I think it is extraordinary that BMA members are out on strike on pay after the 28.9% pay rise. On jobs, the BMA peddles to its members the idea that there were just 4,000 extra specialty training places up for grabs; it seems to completely sideline the point about emergency legislation to deal with UK graduate prioritisation, which is exactly what it asked from us, in all the meetings that I had with it. Since it has rejected that offer, it should not expect to see the legislation. If BMA members want to see the Government move forward constructively with them, they really need to stop striking, stop harming the NHS and maybe start thinking about patients while they are at it.