Junior doctors vote to reject negotiated new contract
ITV News Health Correspondent Rachel Younger reports
Junior doctors in England who are members of the British Medical Association (BMA) have voted to reject a new contract agreement with the government.
Around 58 per cent of the 37,000 junior doctors and medical students who took part in a referendum chose to reject the tabled offer while 42 per cent supported it.
Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt said the vote result was "extremely disappointing" given the proposed contract "was agreed with and endorsed by the leader of the BMA junior doctors' committee" and said the Government "will now consider the outcome".
The chair of the BMA junior doctor committee Dr Johann Malawana has announced that he will "with regret" stand down from his position.
"The result of the vote is clear, and the government must respect the informed decision junior doctors have made," he said.
The proposed new terms and conditions were put to junior doctors at 130 roadshows across England following talks at the conciliation service Acas between the BMA and the government in May.
The deal - which among other measures agreed to pay doctors a normal rate for Saturdays and Sundays between the hours of 9am and 9pm - was always subject to BMA junior doctor members approving the new contract in a vote.
The 'for or against' referendum was open to junior doctors and final and penultimate year medical students in England who are members of the BMA.
A new chair of the BMA junior doctor committee to replace Dr Malawana will be elected in the coming weeks.
The outgoing Dr Malawana tweeted confirmation of his resignation with a letter to his colleagues.
He said more talks between both sides must take place as he confirmed experiencing a clear divide in the junior medical profession.
What is the impact of the vote?
The vote against the Government and BMA's negotiated proposal was "disastrous" for both sides, ITV News Political Editor Robert Peston tweeted, even if the result gets lost amid other headlines.