Senior UK health officials have discussed banning doctors from striking as industrial action enters its third year, with junior doctors on their 15th walkout. Health Secretary Wes Streeting has not ruled out the controversial measure, which would mark a dramatic shift in government policy toward unions and could trigger significant political backlash.

Discussions about a strike ban emerged from frustration with the British Medical Association, which officials claim backtracked on a previous agreement. The BMA denies this, maintaining that pay must return to 2008 levels in real terms. The current dispute has seen doctors reject a deal offering a 4.9 per cent basic pay uplift, despite a 29 per cent rise since Labour took power in 2024.

Any ban would require cross-government agreement and face fierce opposition from unions and Labour MPs, who hold Prime Minister Keir Starmer's political future in their hands. The government has previously relaxed union restrictions, repealing Conservative legislation on minimum service levels during NHS walkouts. With polling showing growing public opposition to BMA actions, Streeting maintains that while a ban is not currently under consideration, he has not taken the option off the table.