Consultants’ strike: Senior doctors in England announce industrial action

Consultants in England will strike for two days in November after negotiations on pay and working conditions broke down, the BMA says.The NHS’s most senior hospital doctors plan to walk out from 7 am on 25 November to 6 59 am on 27 November.The BMA’s Consultants Committee has been locked in a dispute with the government since May 2025. In July this year consultants voted for strike action1 unless an improved offer was made. Current proposals would raise pay by only 2.4% in 2027-28.2The BMA has now given the government four weeks to respond to the strike announcement. Should November’s industrial action go ahead, emergency cover will continue at hospitals, akin to Christmas Day levels of staffing.The health secretary, Yvette Cooper, said that the plans to strike during the winter period were “irresponsible” and would place the NHS “under even greater pressure at this crucial time.” She added, “NHS England…