Overview

• The BMA reported that 97% of first-year resident doctors voted for industrial action on a 65% turnout, establishing a clear mandate.
• No strike dates have been set, with the union saying talks must now produce solutions on job security as well as pay.
• A BMA survey found 34% of first-year doctors and 52% of second-year doctors without substantive work from August 2025.
• The union highlighted more than 30,000 applicants competing for roughly 10,000 first-round specialty training places, while the NHS plan commits to 1,000 additional places over three years.
• The pay dispute centers on inflation measures, with the BMA citing a 21% real-terms cut using RPI and the government favoring CPI, which Nuffield Trust analysis suggests implies about a 5% fall since 2008.