The British Medical Association (BMA) has accused Wes Streeting of “scaremongering”, after he warned that strikes before Christmas could push the NHS to collapse as it grapples with an outbreak of flu.

The doctors’ union claimed the Health Secretary had acted in a “cruel and calculated” way and described a Government offer intended to avert walkouts in the coming days as “poor”.

Strikes will take place for five consecutive days from 7am on December 17, unless resident doctors who are members of the union vote in favour of the deal.

In a new statement on Saturday, the BMA’s resident doctors committee chairman, Dr Jack Fletcher, said: “It is horrible for anyone to be suffering with flu, we are not diminishing the impact of that, but Mr Streeting should not be scaremongering the public int

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