Ministers ‘dangerous and irresponsible’ for not talking to striking nurses – as union warns people will die
The government is “dangerous, reprehensible and irresponsible” for failing to sit down with nurses to try and avert a strike, Labour has said.
NHS nurses are due to strike next Thursday and on 20 December in a dispute over pay and patient safety.
It is the first time the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) has staged a national strike in its 106-year history, with up to 100,000 nursing staff expected to down sticks.
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Dr Emma Brunswick, deputy chair of the BMA says people will die
The union has demanded its members receive a pay rise of at least 17%, claiming they are 20% worse off in real terms, due to successive below-inflation awards since 2010.
The strike will cause major disruption, with thousands of operations expected to be postponed at a time when waiting lists are already at record levels.
RCN general secretary Pat Cullen has said she would be willing to pause the walkouts if the health secretary would agree to talk about the nurses’ pay demands.
Wes Streeting accused ministers of “not having a plan for the NHS this winter” in an interview on Sophy Ridge on Sunday.
The shadow health secretary said they intended to “blame nurses and paramedics for an NHS crisis which is squarely the fault of a Conservative government and 12 years of mismanagement”.
He added: “It is completely unreasonable for the government not to want to negotiate.”
The government has said it is for independent pay review bodies to negotiate with nurses.
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Wes Streeting says the government need to explain why they aren’t prepared to talk
Dr Emma Brunswick, deputy chair of the British Medical Association council (the UK’s doctors’ trade union), said the NHS is in such a poor state that there will be deaths.
“I do think more people will die,” she told Sky News. “But currently, the government won’t even speak to us.”
James Cleverly, the foreign secretary, rejected claims that the health secretary did not want to talk to nurses.
He insisted that Steve Barclay’s “door was always open”.
Mr Cleverly said that independent pay review bodies were created in an apolitical role to resolve differences between what public sectors want and what the government can pay, adding: “in this instance the government has accepted their recommendation fully”.
He said that although he “massively values” the work nurses do, their 19.2% pay rise request would cost around £10bn and “we have to be sensible with our expenditure”.
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James Cleverly rejects claims the government won’t talk to nurses
Read more:
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Mr Streeting said the government was “spoiling for a fight”, but that “patients will rightly blame the government, not the unions, if these strikes go ahead”.
Head of the TUC which represents all unions, Kevin Rowan, said it was a “mark of shame” for the government that workers who did so much during the pandemic are being forced to take industrial action.
He said unions really want to find a solution but “the government doesn’t seem prepared to do that”.
More NHS strikes are planned this winter, with ambulance staff due to walk out on 21 and 28 December and junior doctors to strike on 9 January.
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Asked about the ambulance strikes, Mr Cleverly said: “We want to make sure that people are safe and we very much regret the fact that the ambulance service and other key public services are all going on strike.
“We are looking at contingency planning to make sure that we can keep people safe and people should rely on the NHS, they should call 999 if there is a problem. We will be working to make sure that people are able to rely on emergency services.”
A formal request for troops to drive ambulances during strike action is understood to be just days away.
Five other unions are also balloting for strike action, including midwives, physios and hospital porters.
The nurses’ strike is one of many threatening to deliver a winter of discontent as unions seek pay rises in line with the rate of inflation to help shield their members from the cost of living crisis.
Hundreds of thousands of workers plan to strike in the coming weeks, including Network Rail workers, bus drivers, civil servants, driving examiners, Royal Mail workers, national highway workers and baggage handlers.
The UK has joined US forces in attacking a Houthi target in Yemen for the first time since Donald Trump was re-elected.
The Ministry of Defence (MoD) confirmed the strikes took place on Tuesday as part of the government’s response to Houthi attacks on international shipping in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden.
The ministry said careful intelligence analysis identified a cluster of buildings used by the Houthis to manufacture the sort of drones used to attack ships, located 15 miles south of the capital Sanaa.
RAF Typhoon FGR4s conducted strikes on several buildings using Paveway IV precision-guided bombs.
The planes had air refuelling support from Voyager tankers.
The ministry said the strike was conducted after dark to reduce the likelihood of civilians being in the area.
All the aircraft returned safely.
John Healey. Pic: Reuters
Defence Secretary John Healey said: “This government will always act in the interests of our national and economic security.
“Royal Air Force Typhoons have successfully conducted strikes against a Houthi military target in Yemen and all UK aircraft and personnel have returned safely to base.
“We conducted these strikes, supported by the US, to degrade Houthi capabilities and prevent further attacks against UK and international shipping.”
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Houthis a ‘persistent threat’ to ‘freedom of navigation’
Mr Healey said Houthi activities in the Red Sea are a “persistent threat” to “freedom of navigation”.
“A 55% drop in shipping through the Red Sea has already cost billions, fuelling regional instability and risking economic security for families in the UK,” he said.
“The government is steadfast in our commitment to reinforcing global stability and protecting British working people. I am proud of the dedication and professionalism shown by the service men and women involved in this operation.”
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US intensifies strikes on Houthis
It was the first time UK forces have struck a target in Yemen since May last year, the ministry confirmed.
The US has intensified its strikes on the Iran-backed Houthis under Mr Trump’s presidency, after his re-election in November 2024.
The group began launching attacks on shipping routes in November 2023 saying they were in solidarity with Palestinians over Israel’s war with Hamas in Gaza.
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Footage showing people being pulled from rubble has been released by Houthi rebels in Yemen
The strike came after a Houthi-controlled TV channel claimed a US strike killed 68 people at a detention centre for African migrants in Yemen on Monday.
UK
No criminal charges over death of ice hockey player Adam Johnson whose neck was cut by opponent’s skate
No criminal charges will be brought over the death of an ice hockey player who died during a match in Sheffield, prosecutors have announced.
Nottingham Panthers’ Adam Johnson died in October 2023 after his neck was cut by an opposition player’s skate during a match at Sheffield’s Utilita Arena.
The Sheffield Steelers player, Matthew Petgrave, was arrested on suspicion of manslaughter and later bailed – but the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) has now said it will not bring criminal charges against the Canadian.
Michael Quinn, deputy chief crown prosecutor, said: “This was a shocking and deeply upsetting incident. The CPS and South Yorkshire Police have worked closely together to determine whether any criminal charges should be brought against the other ice hockey player involved.
“Following a thorough police investigation and a comprehensive review of all the evidence by the CPS, we have concluded that there is not a realistic prospect of conviction for any criminal offence and so there will not be a prosecution.
“Our thoughts remain with the family and friends of Adam Johnson.”
Tributes were left outside the Motorpoint Arena in Nottingham following the ice hockey player’s death. Pic PA
Before joining Nottingham Panthers, the Minnesota-born Johnson played in Pennsylvania for the Pittsburgh Penguins, and Sweden for the Malmo Redhawks.
He also played in California for Ontario Reign and in Germany for Augsburger Panther.
A post-mortem examination confirmed the 29-year-old died as a result of the fatal neck injury.
The crowd of 8,000 spectators watched in horror as desperate attempts were made to save his life as he lay on the ice, shielded by fellow players.
The game was abandoned and spectators were asked to leave in the aftermath.
Pic PA
Kari Johnson, Johnson’s aunt, was watching the match via a livestream with his father and grandmother when he was fatally injured.
Speaking to Sky News at the time, Ms Johnson said: “It was a mess, it was a nightmare, it was like it wasn’t real. We were in shock, we couldn’t believe this was happening.”
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Kari Johnson said her nephew was ‘a kind soul’
Ms Johnson described her nephew as a “kind soul” and a “private kid” who “never would have wanted to be in the limelight like this”.
He simply wanted to be “good at hockey and have fun”, she said, adding he was “having the time of his life in the UK” and was planning to get engaged to his girlfriend.
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In January 2024, Sheffield’s senior coroner, Tanyka Rawden, suspended her investigation while the police inquiry took its course.
It later emerged that Ms Rawden had issued a Prevention of Future Deaths Report to Ice Hockey UK and the English Ice Hockey Association (EIHA) about the use of neck guards in the sport.
In the report, Ms Rawden said she was “sufficiently concerned that deaths may occur in the future if neck guards or protectors are not worn”, with the bodies given 56 days to say what action had been taken – or why action had not been taken.
Neck guards have been mandatory in the Elite League (EIHL), in which the Nottingham Panthers and Sheffield Steelers compete, since January 2024.
This followed the International Ice Hockey Federation’s decision in December to mandate the use of neck laceration protectors for its competitions.
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