Junior Doctors Lose Public Support Amid Planned UK Strike Vote

Public support for strikes by resident doctors in the UK has declined significantly following substantial pay increases, with recent polls showing only 39% backing industrial action compared to 52% support last summer. Despite receiving a 22% pay rise last year and a further 5.4% increase this year—higher than other public sector workers—the British Medical Association (BMA) is balloting members for potential six months of strikes, demanding an additional 29% pay rise. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has urged doctors to reject strike action, warning it would further disrupt the NHS and jeopardize recovery efforts, especially amid a backlog of 7.4 million waiting list patients. The Patients Association and other critics emphasize the significant harm caused to patients due to previous strikes, which resulted in over 1.3 million cancelled or rescheduled appointments, and call for intensified negotiations to avoid further industrial action. While the BMA argues doctors’ pay remains below 2008 real-term levels and stresses deteriorating working conditions, opponents caution that yielding to strike threats risks encouraging more walkouts. The dispute highlights growing tensions between the government’s efforts to stabilize the NHS and doctors’ demands for pay reflecting inflation and job pressures.