England Junior Doctors to Strike Nov 14–19

Resident doctors in England will stage a five-day strike from 7am on 14 November to 7am on 19 November after talks with the government stalled, the British Medical Association (BMA) announced. The action escalates a dispute over pay, job insecurity and a shortage of specialty training places; the BMA says many second-year doctors are struggling to find roles and reported 97% support for action in a separate FY1 ballot. Ballot turnout among junior doctors was about 55%, a figure the government has cited in disputing the mandate for action. Health Secretary Wes Streeting condemned the strikes as harmful to patients and said recent pay rises of nearly 30% over three years make further increases unaffordable. The walkout — the 13th in the long-running dispute since March 2023 — is expected to disrupt emergency and routine care, with senior doctors brought in to provide cover and previous strikes causing thousands of postponed operations. The BMA says it sought a deal including gradual pay restoration and improved career progression but judged the government's responses insufficient, leaving little option but to call strike action.