Resident doctors in England are to vote on extending their mandate for strikes for a further six months, the British Medical Association (BMA) has said.

The union’s current mandate for industrial action runs out in January, but this could be extended to August 2026 if the ballot is successful.

Dr Jack Fletcher, chairman of the BMA’s resident doctors’ committee, said: “A new mandate for strikes should not be necessary.

“We should have been able to put this dispute to bed months ago with a responsible deal on jobs and pay.

“It would have only taken a plan to gradually raise pay over a few years and some common-sense reforms to ensure job security so that doctors aren’t threatened with unemployment.

“Such a plan was perfectly within reach of this Government and we had hoped they would se

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