Jeremy Hunt faces fresh criticism after comparing himself to NHS founder Nye Bevan and refusing to resign

Beleaguered: Health Secretary has refused to resign as junior doctors continue to take strike action
Neil Hall/PA
Tom Powell1 September 2016
WEST END FINAL

Get our award-winning daily news email featuring exclusive stories, opinion and expert analysis

I would like to be emailed about offers, event and updates from Evening Standard. Read our privacy notice.

Health secretary Jeremy Hunt compared himself to NHS founder Nye Bevan today as he refused a call to resign on live radio.

The beleaguered politician faced a fresh barrage of criticism after failing to prevent the longest doctors’ strike in NHS history.

In various broadcast interviews, he accused junior doctors of inflicting “misery” on their patients with their strike over his seven-day contracts.

However, BBC Radio 4 presenter John Humphries suggested Mr Hunt could stop the strike, running 8am to 5pm for five days from September 12, by resigning.

He said: “You could say 'I've done my best, I've worked on this for years. Maybe it's time I stepped aside and let someone else have a go because I haven't got their confidence.”

However, Mr Hunt, who has continued in the face of resignation demands for months, said he would not back down – comparing himself to the NHS’s Labour founder.

"Nye Bevan, the founder of the NHS, was described by the BMA (British Medical Association) as a medical Fuhrer," he said.

"All I would say is we know very well that Health Secretaries are rarely popular in their job - but what matters is are we doing the right thing for patients."

He reiterated that he will not consider changing the much-maligned seven-day contract, which was rejected by 58% of junior doctors in a BMA ballot.

His comments have been met with outrage on social media, with many Twitter users accusing Mr Hunt of destroying the NHS.

In a separate interview on Sky News, host Eammon Holmes said the Tory minister was seen as “toxic” and “part of the problem”.

Earlier this month, Ellen McCourt, who chairs the BMA's junior doctors committee (JDC), said that the JDC was asking the BMA Council to authorise a "rolling programme of escalated industrial action beginning in early September".

Strikes took place between January and April after junior doctors failed to come to an agreement with the Government over a proposed new contract.

Tens of thousands of operations and appointments had to be cancelled and rescheduled for a later date as a result.

In July, the Government announced it would impose a new contract after junior doctors and medical students voted to reject a contract brokered between health leaders and the BMA.

A Department of Health spokeswoman said: "As doctors' representatives, the BMA should be putting patients first not playing politics in a way that will be immensely damaging for vulnerable patients.

“What's more, the BMA must be the first union in history to call for strike action against a deal they themselves negotiated and said was a good one.

"Whilst there are many pressures on the frontline, funding is at record levels, with the highest number of doctors employed in the history of the NHS.

“Co-operation not confrontation is the way forward to make sure patients get the best treatment and the NHS is there for people whenever they need it."

Create a FREE account to continue reading

eros

Registration is a free and easy way to support our journalism.

Join our community where you can: comment on stories; sign up to newsletters; enter competitions and access content on our app.

Your email address

Must be at least 6 characters, include an upper and lower case character and a number

You must be at least 18 years old to create an account

* Required fields

Already have an account? SIGN IN

By clicking Create Account you confirm that your data has been entered correctly and you have read and agree to our Terms of use , Cookie policy and Privacy policy .

This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Privacy Policy and Terms of Service apply.

Thank you for registering

Please refresh the page or navigate to another page on the site to be automatically logged in