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NHS nurses are to strike for two days in December in a dispute over pay and patient safety.

Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) will take industrial action on 15 and 20 December across England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

In Scotland, industrial action is being paused while pay negotiations continue.

The strike ballot among more than 300,000 members of the RCN was the biggest in the union’s 106-year history.

The union has demanded its members receive a pay rise of at least 17%, adding that years of low pay is “pushing nursing staff out of the profession and putting patient care at risk”.

Nurses had given the government a deadline to open “detailed negotiations” and threatened to announce strike dates for December.

RCN general secretary Pat Cullen said: “My offer of formal negotiations was declined and instead ministers have chosen strike action.

“Nursing staff have had enough of being taken for granted, enough of low pay and unsafe staffing levels, enough of not being able to give our patients the care they deserve.”

Read more:
Is your area among the worst affected by nurses’ strike?

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‘Enough is enough’ – Nursing union

Pay demand ‘not affordable’

The health secretary praised the hard work and dedication of nurses, and expressed his deep regret that some will be taking industrial action.

Steve Barclay said: “These are challenging times for everyone and the economic circumstances mean the RCN’s demands, which on current figures are a 19.2% pay rise, costing £10bn a year, are not affordable.”

The RCN’s demanding an increase based on the RPI inflation rate (which was 14.2% in October) plus 5%.

In England and Wales, NHS staff have seen an average rise of 4.75% this year, in Scotland the offer was a flat rate of just over £2,200, while in Northern Ireland no pay award can be approved without an Executive in place.

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UK strikes: What does the data show?

Chancellor Jeremy Hunt – who previously held the post of health secretary – said he has a “great deal of sympathy” for nurses struggling with the cost of living, but insists the best way to help them is to bring inflation down.

Data from the London School of Economics found salaries of experienced nurses have declined by 20% in real terms over the last 10 years. This means nurses are effectively working one day a week for free.

That mirrors recent research by the health charity Nuffield Trust, which said NHS staff pay remained lower in real terms in 2021/22 than it was in 2010/11.

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‘Great deal of sympathy for nurses’

NHS vacancies at record high

Nursing vacancies hit a record 47,000 in England between April and June, a rise of a fifth on the year before.

The RCN says 25,000 nursing staff in the UK left the Nursing and Midwifery Council register in the last year.

This summer, MPs from the cross-party Health and Social Care Committee described the staffing issues as “the greatest workforce crisis” in the history of the NHS.

The union blames not just pay, but also heavy workloads.

DAMAGING AND DIVISIVE STRIKES ARE IN NOBODY’S INTERESTS

The government says the nurses’ pay demands are unreasonable. The nurses say they cannot afford to work like this any longer.

And right in the middle of the two are the patients who are finding out if the dates announced for strike action will mean their long awaited NHS appointment is going to be delayed. Again.

Both sides say emergency services will not be affected. And minimal staffing will remain on wards in hospitals that have backed industrial action to ensure patients are not at any risk.

The government is putting out reassurance messages to allay patient fears – but nothing to say what will happen about missed appointments, scans, operations and other procedures.

That’s because as the nurses union, the RCN, points out, industrial action must have some sort of impact otherwise there is no point in striking.

So elective lists will be paused temporarily, and the seven million number is bound to grow. That will put more pressure on the nurses and other healthcare workers trying to cut through that backlog.

The nurses argue that only better pay will help recruitment and retention. There are thousands of vacancies – and nurses continue to leave the profession. Their colleagues say they are being asked to step in to fill those gaps by working longer and harder.

The nurses might be joined by other hospital staff as unions ballot their members. That could see paramedics, call handlers and nonmedical hospital staff like porters joining the picket lines.

Hospitals will not be able to function normally. And every missed appointment needs to be rescheduled. That takes time and staff and resources, just as the NHS is buckling under immense pressure.

Morale among nurses has been low for a long time, and many are still trying to process what they have been through. But things are about to get worse.

I have spoken to nurses from both sides – the ones who want to strike and those who don’t. The divisions are already there and set to intensify. That will be really damaging.

It is nobody’s interest: patients, nurses or NHS managers, for this dispute to drag on.

:: Is your appointment or operation set to be impacted by the strikes? Email sky.today@sky.uk or send a WhatsApp message to 07583 000853

The RCN is not the only health union threatening strike action.

A ballot among Unison members closes on Friday, and among Unite’s NHS members next week.

Midwives and physiotherapists are also voting on taking action, and junior doctors will be balloted in the new year.

Meanwhile, ambulance staff in Scotland are due to walk out on Monday.

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Pay rise ‘not affordable’

Labour blames Tory ‘negligence

Shadow health secretary Wes Streeting blamed the government for failing to negotiate with the RCN.

He said: “Patients already can’t get treated on time, strike action is the last thing they need, yet the government is letting this happen. Patients will never forgive the Conservatives for this negligence.”

What about the safety of patients?

Unlike strikes in other sectors, some nurses will be exempt from taking part in strike action – called “derogations” – to maintain safe staffing levels and ensure patients are not harmed.

An RCN spokesperson said: “We are committed to ensuring life-preserving service is in place and will be confirming derogations with individual employers in due course.”

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Nurses could follow the example set in Northern Ireland in 2019, when staff went on strike.

The RCN has described on its website how staffing was managed on three levels:

• complete derogation, with an entire service being staffed like intensive care units
• limited to a Sunday service or Christmas Day service
• limited to a night duty model

Could agency workers replace striking nurses?

The RCN advice is clear: “If you’re an agency worker allocated to work at an NHS organisation on a day of strike action, we at the RCN expect that you do not cover that shift.

“You could ask your agency to find you alternative work at an organisation that is not taking strike action, for example a private hospital or care home.”

That doesn’t mean agency staff have to follow the advice, though – and some shifts can be lucrative.

A recent freedom of information request by Labour showed one in three NHS trusts have paid an agency more than £1,000 for a single shift last year, and one in six trusts paid more than £2,000.

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Man and boy arrested on suspicion of arson after restaurant fire leaves two in critical condition

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Man and boy arrested on suspicion of arson after restaurant fire leaves two in critical condition

A 54-year-old man and a 15-year-old boy have been arrested on suspicion of arson with intent to endanger life after a restaurant fire in east London on Friday.

Three people were taken to hospital in a life-threatening condition after the fire at the Indian Aroma in Ilford.

Two remained in a critical condition on Sunday morning, according to the Metropolitan Police.

The restaurant suffered extensive damage in the blaze.

Two further victims are thought to have left the scene before officers arrived, Scotland Yard said.

Woodford Avenue from above. Pic: UK News and Pictures
Image:
Woodford Avenue from above. Pic: UK News and Pictures

Police are still trying to identify them.

CCTV footage seen by the PA news agency appears to show a group of people wearing face coverings walk into the restaurant and pour liquid on the floor.

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Seconds later, the inside of the restaurant is engulfed in flames.

“While we have made two arrests, our investigation continues at pace so we can piece together what happened on Friday evening,” said the Met Police’s DCI Mark Rogers.

“I know the community [is] concerned and shocked by this incident.

The moment the fire broke out.
Image:
The moment the fire broke out.

“I would urge anyone with any information or concerns to come forward and speak to police.”

Hospital porter Edward Thawe went to help after hearing screams from his nearby home.

He described the scene as “horrible” and “more than scary and the sort of thing that you don’t want to look at twice.”

He said: “I heard screaming and people saying they had called the police.”

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The 43-year-old said he saw a woman and a severely burned man who may have been customers.

Another witness, who did not want to be named, said he saw three “severely burned” people being doused by the emergency services and given oxygen.

“I can only imagine the pain they were going through,” he said.

On Saturday, the London Ambulance Service told Sky News: “We sent resources to the scene, including ambulance crews, an advanced paramedic, an incident response officer and paramedics from our hazardous area response team.

“We treated five people for burns and smoke inhalation. We took two patients to a major trauma centre and three others to local hospitals.”

The police investigation is continuing.

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Fast-track asylum appeals process to be introduced – as average time for decisions is more than one year

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Fast-track asylum appeals process to be introduced - as average time for decisions is more than one year

A new fast-track asylum appeals process will be introduced to speed up the process of deporting people without a right to remain in the UK, the home secretary has said.

As it currently takes, on average, more than a year to reach a decision on asylum appeals, the government plans to set up a new independent panel focused on asylum appeals to help reduce the backlog.

Home Secretary Yvette Cooper said “completely unacceptable” delays in the appeals process left failed asylum seekers in the system for years.

There are about 51,000 asylum appeals waiting to be heard.

The new independent body will use professionally-trained adjudicators, rather than relying on judges.

Ministers are introducing a new 24-week deadline for the first-tier tribunal to determine asylum appeals by those receiving accommodation support and appeals by foreign offenders.

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Police clash with protesters in Bristol

But they believe the current tribunal system, which covers a wide range of different cases, is still failing to ensure failed asylum seekers can be returned as swiftly as possible, nor can it accommodate a fast-track system for safe countries.

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It comes amid protests about the use of hotel accommodation for migrants.

The home secretary said the overhaul would result in a system which is “swift, fair and independent, with high standards in place”.

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She said: “We inherited an asylum system in complete chaos with a soaring backlog of asylum cases and a broken appeals system with thousands of people in the system for years on end.

“That is why we are taking practical steps to fix the foundations and restore control and order to the system.

“We are determined to substantially reduce the number of people in the asylum system as part of our plan to end asylum hotels.

“Already since the election, we have reduced the backlog of people waiting for initial decisions by 24% and increased failed asylum returns by 30%.

“But we cannot carry on with these completely unacceptable delays in appeals as a result of the system we have inherited which mean that failed asylum seekers stay in the system for years on end at huge cost to the taxpayer.”

Official figures released earlier this month showed a total of 111,084 people applied for asylum in the UK in the year to June 2025, the highest number for any 12-month period since current records began in 2001.

‘Waving immigrants through even faster will not fix the problem’

Chris Philp, the shadow home secretary, said: “I think this goes nowhere near far enough.

“The underlying rights, which allows most illegal immigrants to stay here, are not changing. Simply waving illegal immigrants through even faster to full housing and welfare rights will not fix the problem.”

Chris Philp
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Chris Philp

He added: “Immigration judges will still apply ever expanding common-sense defying definitions of ECHR rights to allow foreign criminals and illegal immigrants to stay here.”

But the Liberal Democrats have been more positive in their response, with shadow attorney general, Ben Maguire, saying: “A faster application process would mean that those with no right to be here are sent back swiftly and those who do have a valid claim can get a job, integrate and contribute to the community.”

Asked for his thoughts on the policy, immigration lawyer Harjap Singh Bhangal told Sky News that it “definitely sounds like some sort of solution”.

He pointed that the backlog of asylum seekers waiting for a decision is “huge”, around 51,000 people – and that during this time, they are not allowed to work.

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A new fast-track asylum appeals process will be introduced to speed up the process of deporting people without a right to remain in the UK.

He said: “The equivalent would be saying that imagine if A-level students this year sat the exams and were told ‘well, hold on, you’re not going to get your results for two years’ time. But in the meantime, you can’t go to university.’

“You’d have mayhem, and it’d be pandemonium in the street. You’d have broken people idle with nothing to do. Essentially, this is what’s happening to asylum seekers.”

He added that one of the reasons it takes so long for cases to be heard is because asylum seekers have to represent themselves in court, which can mean upwards of half a day is spent translating and explaining everything to them.

Mr Bhangal also said the immigration system is “broken”, because “they take ages to make a decision which could be made in one week”.

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Family pay tribute to ‘beloved’ man who died in ‘accident while working on fairground ride’

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Family pay tribute to 'beloved' man who died in 'accident while working on fairground ride'

A man who died after suffering “serious head injuries” while “working on a fairground ride” has been named as Corrie Lee Stavers.

Emergency services were called to the Spanish City Summer Funfair in Whitley Bay in North Tyneside after reports that a man, in his 20s, had been injured around 2.15pm on Saturday, police said.

Mr Stavers, 28, was treated at the scene but was declared dead a short time later.

In a statement issued by the police, his family said: “It’s with broken hearts that we share the devastating news that our beloved Corrie has passed away.

“He was tragically taken from us in an accident while working on a fairground ride. None of us were prepared for this, and the pain of losing him so suddenly is impossible to put into words.

“Our lives will never be the same without him, but his memory will live on in our hearts forever.

“We love you endlessly Corrie, and we miss you more than words can ever say.

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“You’re with our mam now – rest in peace Corrie.”

The funfair, which is in Whitley Bay’s Spanish City Plaza area, has been shut “until further notice” and the Health and Safety Executive has been informed.

The annual funfair had opened on Thursday and had been due to run until Bank Holiday Monday.

Read more from Sky News:
Man and boy arrested after restaurant fire
Fast-track asylum appeals process to be introduced

A Northumbria Police spokesman said: “Emergency services attended and a man in his 20s was found to have suffered serious head injuries.

“Despite the best efforts of medical staff, a short time later the man was sadly declared dead.

“His next of kin have been contacted and are being supported by specialist officers.”

The spokesman added: “Our thoughts are with the man’s family at this extremely difficult time.

“We have contacted the Health and Safety Executive and are working with them to establish exactly what happened.

“The fair has been closed to the public and will remain closed until further notice.”

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