UK Junior Doctors Begin Fresh 5-Day Strike Despite Starmer’s Warnings
Thousands of UK junior doctors began a five-day strike on Friday, July 25, 2025, after failed talks with Prime Minister Keir Starmer’s government.
Despite warnings from the Prime Minister, the doctors walked out early in the morning, protesting what they call years of unfair pay cuts.
The strike follows an earlier pay offer of 22.3 percent over two years, accepted after Labour took power in September. However, junior doctors say it is not enough.
According to the British Medical Association (BMA), their real wages have dropped by more than 21 percent since 2008.
“We’re not working 21 percent less hard, so why should our pay suffer?” said BMA committee co-chairs Melissa Ryan and Ross Nieuwoudt.
Prime Minister Starmer appealed to the doctors on Friday. In a piece published by The Times, he warned that the strike would “cause real damage” to the National Health Service (NHS). “Launching a strike will mean everyone loses,” he wrote.
Health Minister Wes Streeting also urged restraint. He said the government could not afford further pay hikes this year, echoing concerns published in The Telegraph.
Last year, the BMA demanded a 35 percent pay rise to match inflation over the past decade. But the previous Conservative government rejected that request.
In 2024, Labour settled several pay disputes, offering new deals to teachers, nurses, and train drivers.
One of the most controversial was a 15 percent pay deal over three years for rail workers, which drew fire from the Tory opposition.
Friday’s strike brings fresh chaos to the NHS, already overwhelmed with patient backlogs. Previous strikes last year led to tens of thousands of delayed appointments and postponed surgeries.
Starmer pleaded with the doctors not to follow the BMA “down this damaging road.” He added, “Our NHS and your patients need you. Lives will be blighted by this decision.”