fredulous

Labour is guided by the interests of Britain and the British people. And we are clear: those interests require close partnership with our allies.

BREAKING: Foreign Secretary Yvette Cooper condemns “Iranian recklessness” for “hitting global economic security” as she addresses a virtual meeting of more than 40 countries aimed at reopening the Strait of Hormuz

As Dr Jack Fletcher, chair of the BMA Resident Doctors Committee writes in the Mirror, the Government have unilaterally axed 1,000 NHS specialist training jobs for doctors. These are not just numbers on a spreadsheet. These are doctors who would have gone on to become the future NHS Consultants, Surgeons, Radiologists, Psychiatrists and GPs that the public rely on. Doctors cannot become NHS specialists without training jobs, and the Government controls how many of those posts exist. Think about the last time you or someone you love was in hospital. The doctor who saw you in A&E in the middle of the night. The doctor reviewing your scan. The doctor on the ward explaining what was happening and what would happen next. None of those doctors became specialists by accident. They became specialists because there were training posts available and someone allowed them to train. So when the Government removes 1,000 future training posts, what they are really doing is removing 1,000 future NHS specialists. At the same time as removing these training jobs, the Government also watered down their offer to doctors, reduced the level of investment, and stretched the deal over three years instead. Those are not the actions of a serious negotiation partner acting in good faith. That is the behaviour of a Government trying to pressure a workforce into accepting worse terms. Wes Streeting and Keir Starmer have made a political choice. They have chosen to remove future specialist training jobs. They have chosen to reduce investment. They have chosen to make it harder for doctors to progress. And that decision does not just affect doctors. It affects patients, waiting lists, cancer diagnoses, surgery delays and access to GP appointments. Fewer future training posts now means fewer specialists in the future, and longer waits for the public. The BMA has repeatedly said it is willing to negotiate and willing to end strikes if a fair deal is reached. Wes Streeting needs to be willing to end this dispute too with a credible offer.

Security tags on a block of cheese. This is where Britain is now. When basic food needs anti theft devices, it’s not just crime, it’s a collapse in deterrence and standards. A serious country doesn’t tolerate this.