The UK government on Monday said it was applying for a court order to stop a strike by nurses in the state-run National Health Service from going ahead.
Health Secretary Steve Barclay said he was acting on a request from NHS Employers, which represents hospital groups in England and Wales, to declare the planned walkout on May 2 “unlawful”.
Nurses are to start a strike on April 30 and end it on May 2.
“Despite attempts by my officials to resolve the situation at the weekend, I have been left with no choice but to proceed with legal action,” said Mr Barclay.
“I firmly support the right to take industrial action within the law — but the government cannot stand by and let a plainly unlawful strike action go ahead nor ignore the request of NHS Employers.”
He also said the government must protect nurses by ensuring they are not asked to take part in an “unlawful strike”.
Members of the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) this month voted to reject a five per cent government pay offer to end their industrial action.
Unions then announced an escalation of walkouts to include staff in emergency departments, intensive and cancer care units for the first time.
But that has led to fears about the provision of critical care for patients, and worsening a backlog in appointments and procedures.
The government is relying on legislation that stipulates unions have six months from the initial vote for strike action to walk out.
It maintains the RCN's lawful ballot mandate ends at 11.59pm on May 1.
The RCN has accused NHS Employers of “seeking to discredit” the action on May 2 and will “strongly resist any application for injunctive relief from any or all NHS employers”.
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Evacuations to France hit by controversy
- Over 500 Gazans have been evacuated to France since November 2023
- Evacuations were paused after a student already in France posted anti-Semitic content and was subsequently expelled to Qatar
- The Foreign Ministry launched a review to determine how authorities failed to detect the posts before her entry
- Artists and researchers fall under a programme called Pause that began in 2017
- It has benefited more than 700 people from 44 countries, including Syria, Turkey, Iran, and Sudan
- Since the start of the Gaza war, it has also included 45 Gazan beneficiaries
- Unlike students, they are allowed to bring their families to France
Who is Allegra Stratton?
- Previously worked at The Guardian, BBC’s Newsnight programme and ITV News
- Took up a public relations role for Chancellor Rishi Sunak in April 2020
- In October 2020 she was hired to lead No 10’s planned daily televised press briefings
- The idea was later scrapped and she was appointed spokeswoman for Cop26
- Ms Stratton, 41, is married to James Forsyth, the political editor of The Spectator
- She has strong connections to the Conservative establishment
- Mr Sunak served as best man at her 2011 wedding to Mr Forsyth
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