Keith Taylor, Green MEP for the South East of England, has accused Jeremy Hunt of 'incompetence' and pledged to 'stand in solidarity' with Junior Doctors following the BMA's latest notice of industrial action.
Keith, a vocal supporter of the NHS Reinstatement Bill who sits on the European Parliament's Public Health committee, said:
It seemed inevitable that our Junior Doctors would announce further industrial action and it’s deeply saddening that they have been forced to this point by the intransigence of an incompetent Health Secretary.That the BMA announcement comes just days after the government was forced to reveal its plans to shut down NHS services across England is a stark reminder of the perilous condition of our National Health Service after years of Tory mismanagement.With a demoralised, woefully under-resourced workforce, a ‘7-day plan’ exposed as a cynical ploy to open up services to further privatisation, and a Health Secretary apparently charged with undermining one of our proudest public services; it is clearer than ever that this government cannot be trusted with the NHS.A government that believed in a truly public NHS would put forward a contract that is fair and safe for staff and patients alike. A conscientious Health Secretary would cease his relentless attempts to smear a strained workforce tirelessly plugging huge rota gaps with good will alone.Until that happens, I and other NHS champions will continue to join the overwhelming majority of the British public in offering solidarity to the frontline NHS staff fighting to protect our beloved health service. Industrial action remains the last resort for desperate junior doctors. The BMA has already made countless offers to re-open negotiations with Jeremy Hunt.
