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Hello, I'm Sean Curran, and this is yesterday in Parliament from BBC Radio 4.

On Thursday, the 26th of March, the Health Secretary Wes Streeting,

called on the Doctors' Union to call off strikes planned for next month

and return to the negotiating table.

As MPs prepared to leave Westminster for Parliament's Easter break,

the International Policy Group, the OECD, predicted that the conflict in the Middle East

would harm the UK's economy more than that of other industrialised nations. A few hours later, the Health

Secretary West Streeting warned resident doctors in England that the prospect of a long war

meant the government couldn't improve its pay-offer. We are planning on the basis of a prolonged

conflict because that is the prudent thing to do. In that eventuality,

there would be an impact on the economy and on the public finances. Were that to happen,

a future offer to resident doctors will not look better than what is on offer today.

He urged the BMA to rethink its strike action and gave the doctors' union until next Thursday

when he would take the deal off the table.

Resident doctors, who used to be known as junior doctors,

are set to go on strike for six days next month

following the breakdown of talks over jobs and pay.

The Conservative Shadow Health Secretary Stuart Andrew

said when he was in opposition,

West Streeting had made resolving the strikes sound straightforward.

Just get round the table, just negotiate, just sort it out.

...