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In this episode, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting speaks to Hannah White, director of the Institute for Government.

The conversation was recorded live at the Labour Party Conference as part of the New Statesman Conference Fringe.

Thank you to the Institute for Government for sponsoring this episode.

The very topical thing that I have to start with, Wes, is the fact we've just heard that two-thirds of nurses have rejected the 5.5% offer that the government made to them.

What's the government strategy going to be now?

And do you feel it was a strategic error to make so clear that you wanted to stop the disruption of strikes?

Do you think that means now that other unions are going to see that as an opportunity?

No, I thought the Chancellor was absolutely right after the election to firstly recognise the enormous price

that we were paying as taxpayers and as patients for industrial action in the NHS and the abysmal

failure of the last government to negotiate effectively to resolve these disputes. In fact, of the many shocking

things I found when I entered the Department for Health and Social Care was the fact that my

predecessor and her ministers had not met the BMA since March this year. That's despite the fact

that further industrial action was planned and indeed

took place during the general election itself. So at a cost of well over one and a half

billion pounds and well over a million delayed cancelled operations appointments and

procedures, we decided to act quickly to end the dispute with

...