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Members of the Royal College of Nursing are to go on strike again after they voted against the latest government pay offer.

This is despite a recommendation from union leaders that they accept it and means there will be a round-the-clock 48-hour strike – without exemptions – from 8pm on 30 April to 8pm on 2 May.

Unison members had voted in favour of the pay deal on the grounds it was the “best that could be achieved through negotiation”.

All of this comes as a 96-hour walkout staged by junior doctors comes to an end this morning.

Senior officials within the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) have suggested that they may consider coordinating future industrial action with junior doctors in an attempt to increase pressure on the government.

For the first time, the RCN’s strike will involve staff working in emergency departments, intensive care units, cancer care and other services that were previously exempt from strikes

More than six in 10 of eligible members took part in the ballot, with 54% voting to reject the government’s offer and 46% voting for it. Turnout was 61%.

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RCN General Secretary Pat Cullen said she had written to the government to notify it of “imminent” strike action, as well as a new ballot and a request for a fresh round of talks.

Final day of walkout by doctors and updates on nurses – politics latest

In a letter to Health Secretary Steve Barclay, Ms Cullen said what nurses had been offered was “simply not enough”.

She said: “Since our talks in February, we have seen the pressures on the NHS continue to increase.

“Until there is a significantly improved offer, we are forced back to the picket line.

“After a historic vote to strike, our members expect a historic pay award.”

The development will come as a blow to the government, which hoped a settlement with nurses would pave the way for breakthroughs in other sectors gripped by industrial action.

Instead, there is the likelihood of further strikes over the summer months after teachers also voted to reject the government’s offer.

However, the government will be buoyed by the “decisive” Unison result, in which three-quarters of 288,000 NHS workers across England voted to accept the offer.

Unison’s head of health, Sara Gorton said that while health workers “would have wanted more … this was the best that could be achieved through negotiation”.

The health unions are lodged in their own dangerous game of divide and rule

It’s not a good news, bad news type of situation – it’s a mess. By rejecting the government’s pay offer, nurses from the RCN are now in conflict with their health worker colleagues from Unison who have overwhelmingly decided to accept it.

At the start of the process the unions warned that the government was playing a dangerous game of divide and rule. Now they have managed to do it to themselves.

Other health unions including the GMB, Unite and those representing physios and dieticians are consulting their members. They have until the 28 April.

Until then we are in limbo. In early May all the unions will go back to the government with their decision. Unison has said it will ask the government to impose its pay deal on their members.

But the RCN has already announced further strike dates and will ballot its members for more action over the last six months of the year.

It raises the prospect of nurses and junior doctors standing together on picket lines for the first time. That is a situation that will fill NHS Trust leaders with dread.

The outcome will not be known until at least May. It means more uncertainty for long suffering patients.

Under the deal, Unison health workers will receive an additional one-off payment for the year 2022/23, along with a 5% pay rise for 2023/24 – 10.4% for the lowest paid.

Unison, GMB and Unite the Union all also represent nurses in some capacity, as well as paramedics, 999 call handlers, midwives, security guards and cleaners.

According to the RCN, if the majority of members across all unions vote to accept the deal, then the government could still implement it.

A Unison source told Sky News they will be pushing for the government to implement the pay offer their members voted for, even though RCN members have rejected it and other unions may do as well.

A government spokesperson said: “It is hugely disappointing that the Royal College of Nursing membership has rejected the pay deal recommended by their leadership.

“Following constructive discussions, all parties agreed this was a fair and generous offer which is demonstrated by Unison, representing the largest share of the NHS workforce, choosing to accept it.

“The fact that the Royal College of Nursing has announced an escalation in strike action with no derogations, based on a vote from the minority of the nursing workforce, will be hugely concerning for patients.”

Read more:
‘The system is broken’: On the A&E frontline during the strikes
Strike organiser on holiday as junior doctors stage 96-hour walkout

The pay deal rejected by RCN members would have seen nurses awarded a one-off payment of 2% of their salary, plus a COVID recovery bonus of 4% for the current financial year and 5% for the year after.

Mr Barclay previously explained that, under the offer, a newly qualified nurse would have received more than £1,800 this year on top of a pay rise of more than £1,300 next year.

NHS Providers Director of Communications Adam Brimelow said the RCN vote was a “setback” and was “extremely worrying”.

“Trust leaders understand the frustration of nurses, junior doctors and other staff who have seen their pay fall behind inflation year after year.

“It’s really important that the unions and government find a way through this to prevent more strikes and let the NHS focus on its big challenges, including cutting waiting lists and transforming services, instead of having to resort to ‘all hands on deck’ just to get through the day.”

The nurses’ dispute is separate from the junior doctors row. Ministers have repeatedly insisted they will not enter into talks with the British Medical Association (BMA) until the union drops its demand for a 35% pay rise for junior doctors.

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Epping council demands government ‘immediately’ close asylum hotel – as Home Office works to ‘restore order’

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3 hours ago

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July 25, 2025

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Epping council demands government 'immediately' close asylum hotel – as Home Office works to 'restore order'

Epping council has unanimously voted to urge the government to shut a hotel housing asylum seekers after a series of protests.

Epping Forest District Council in Essex passed a motion calling for the Bell Hotel to be “immediately and permanently” closed “for the purposes of asylum processing”.

Several demonstrations have been held outside the hotel since 13 July, after an asylum seeker was charged with allegedly attempting to kiss a 14-year-old girl.

Police have arrested 18 people and charged nine in connection with the protests.

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Eight officers injured during migrant protest

Hadush Gerberslasie Kebatu, 38, from Ethiopia, denied sexually assaulting the 14-year-old girl at Chelmsford Magistrates’ Court last week and will stand trial in August.

The Essex Police, Fire and Crime Commissioner has also reportedly urged the home secretary to review the use of the hotel for housing asylum seekers.

In a letter to Yvette Cooper, Roger Hirst said the hotel is unsuitable for housing migrants and is “clearly creating community tension”, the Telegraph reported.

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Anti-migration protesters in Epping
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Protests in Epping turned violent last week

Home Office ‘working to restore order’

The Home Office has vowed to “restore order,” threatening on Friday to make asylum seekers homeless if they refuse a change of accommodation.

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Epping: ‘Everyone’s on edge’
Epping the latest flashpoint of frustration

It said a new “failure to travel” policy is looking to tackle “non-compliance by asylum seekers” and will ensure individuals who are moved from hotels to suitable alternative accommodation must take it.

Those who refuse to move without a valid reason will now risk losing their housing and support, the Home Office said.

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Epping migration protest in focus

Dame Angela Eagle, minister for border security and asylum, said: “We are working to close hotels, restore order, and put fairness and value for money at the heart of our asylum system.

“This government is making those necessary decisions to protect the taxpayer and uphold the integrity of our borders.”

Asked specifically about the Epping Forest District Council vote, the Home Office said: “We’ll continue to work closely with local police and community partners, in Epping and across the country, as we fix this broken system.”

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Eight officers injured

Protests outside the Bell Hotel last Thursday began peacefully but escalated into what police described as “scattered incidents of violence,” leaving eight officers injured.

Police are braced for further protests, vowing to act swiftly if unrest spreads.

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There were ‘failings’ in care of ex-England cricketer Graham Thorpe in months before he died, coroner says

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4 hours ago

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July 25, 2025

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There were 'failings' in care of ex-England cricketer Graham Thorpe in months before he died, coroner says

There were “failings” in the care of former England cricketer Graham Thorpe in the months before he died, a coroner has said.

It comes as Coroner Jonathan Stevens recorded a conclusion of suicide at an inquest into his death in August last year.

Thorpe died at a railway station in Surrey.

Mr Stevens read a statement yesterday during the inquest from Mr Thorpe’s GP Joan Munnelly, detailing the cricketer was diagnosed with anxiety and depression in 2018.

Regarded as one of the finest batters of his generation, Thorpe played 100 Tests for England, scoring 16 centuries and featuring 82 times for the ODI side.

He coached England’s batters and had a 17-year career with Surrey.

Anyone feeling emotionally distressed or suicidal can call Samaritans for help on 116 123 or email jo@samaritans.org in the UK. In the US, call the Samaritans branch in your area or 1 (800) 273-TALK

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Jeff Stewart: Actor who played Reg Hollis in The Bill helps police arrest shoplifter

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15 hours ago

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July 25, 2025

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Jeff Stewart: Actor who played Reg Hollis in The Bill helps police arrest shoplifter

The actor who played PC Reg Hollis in hit TV series The Bill has been praised by officers after helping them arrest a shoplifter.

Jeff Stewart stepped in when a thief attempted to escape on a bicycle in Southampton on Wednesday.

In a statement, a Hampshire Constabulary spokesman said: “The thief, 29-year-old Mohamed Diallo, fell off the bike during his attempts to flee, before officers pounced to make their arrest.

“To their surprise, local TV legend Jeff Stewart, who played PC Hollis for 24 years in The Bill, came to their aid by sitting on the suspect’s legs while officers put him in cuffs.

The Bill actors, from left to right; Jeff Stewart, Roberta Taylor, Mark Wingett, Trudie Goodwin and Cyril Nri
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(L-R) Jeff Stewart, Roberta Taylor, Mark Wingett, Trudie Goodwin and Cyril Nri celebrating The Bill’s 21st anniversary in 2004. Pic: PA

“In policing you should always expect the unexpected, but this really wasn’t on The Bill for this week.”

The Bill was broadcast on ITV between 1984 and 2010 and featured the fictional lives of police officers from the Sun Hill police station in east London.

Mr Stewart, who was among the original cast, appeared in more than 1,000 episodes as PC Hollis.

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Still of police footage of actor Jeff Stewart who played PC Reg Hollis in The Bill helping arrest a shoplifter in Southampton
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Police released footage showing their pursuit of a shoplifter in Southampton. Pic: Hampshire Constabulary

Still of police footage of actor Jeff Stewart who played PC Reg Hollis in The Bill helping arrest a shoplifter in Southampton
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As the suspect falls to the floor, PC Hollis (aka Jeff Stewart) sits on his legs. Pic: Hampshire Constabulary

In praising Mr Stewart’s actions, the force said: “Long since retired from Sun Hill station – but he’s still got it.”

Police from the Bargate Neighbourhoods Policing Team were alerted by staff at a Co-op store in Ocean Way to a suspected shoplifter on Wednesday.

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Mohamed Diallo, 29, of Anglesea Road, Southampton, was subsequently charged with five offences of theft relating to coffee, alcohol and food from the Co-op and two other Sainsbury’s stores on three dates in April and July.

He pleaded guilty at Southampton Magistrates’ Court on Thursday and was bailed to be sentenced on August 29.

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