# More than half of Britons oppose senior doctors strikes, poll finds, as figures show health unions amassing huge war chests to fund crippling walkouts

- URL: https://talkfuse.com/story/more-than-half-of-britons-oppose-senior-doctors-strikes-poll-finds-as-figures-show-health-unions-amassing-huge-war-chests-to-fund-crippling-walkouts/
- Published: 2026-10-28T15:19:28+00:00
- Updated: 2026-10-28T15:49:17+00:00
- Original publisher: Daily Mail (publisher lean: Right)
- Original article: https://www.dailymail.com/news/article-16246293/More-half-Britons-oppose-senior-doctors-strikes-poll.html?ns_mchannel=rss&ns_campaign=1490&ito=1490
- Topics: Elections, Politics, World

## Key points

- 58 per cent oppose the planned consultants’ strike.
- The 48-hour walkout is scheduled for 25 and 26 November.
- The BMA estimates consultants’ real-terms pay has fallen by 25 per cent.

## Summary

A YouGov poll found that 58 per cent of Britons oppose a planned 48-hour strike by NHS consultants on 25 and 26 November, while 31 per cent support it. The dispute matters because the walkout is due during winter, when pressure on hospitals is high, and emergency cover will continue under arrangements similar to Christmas Day.

Opposition was strongest among people aged 65 and over, at 77 per cent, compared with 29 per cent among 18 to 24-year-olds. Separate figures cited in the article show the BMA’s industrial action fund rose from £1 million to £1.3 million, while the Royal College of Nursing holds £35 million; the BMA says consultants have suffered a 25 per cent real-terms pay cut over 17 years. Of 18,069 consultants who voted in the strike ballot, 13,695 backed action, and officials estimate the union’s demands could cost £2 billion to £3 billion.

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Summarised by TalkFuse (https://talkfuse.com/). Quote the original publisher for the reporting and link this page for the summary and discussion.