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Sir Keir Starmer has warned that a planned strike by resident doctors will plunge the NHS into chaos as it appears on course to coincide with the latest super-flu crisis. Members of the hard-left BMA union will walk out from the 17th to the 22nd December, which was already condemned as a “nightmare before Christmas” by Health Secretary Wes Streeting when announced.

However the outbreak of a new strain of super-flu, which is already closing schools, threatens to do even more damage to the NHS if combined with the strike. The ‘K strain’ flu virus is tearing through Britain and filling hospital beds at record pace, as demand for vaccines surges. This morning the Prime Minister’s official spokesman issued a fresh condemnation of the BMA’s planned strike, which is demanding yet more record-breaking pay increases.

No. 10 said the “needless and reckless strikes” will “inflict pain on people” at a time when the NHS needs to be running at full speed.

The Prime Minister’s spokesman warned: “It must be clear about what this decision [to strike] means.

“Other NHS colleagues have had to cancel Christmas plans just to cover shifts; patients will have operations cancelled; and the NHS will be preparing for the worst in the middle of an unprecedented flu season.”

He added: “We’ve done everything we can to cancel these strikes, even giving them the option to extend the strike mandate so they can call off the strikes and consult their members.

“It’s frankly astounding that the BMA leadership rejected this.”

The Government has set out a number of reforms it had hoped would see the BMA call off or delay its strike, including reforms that would put British-trained medical students at the front of the queue for jobs.

The offer included fresh legislation to prioritise UK graduates and halve the competition for jobs that resident doctors currently face.

The BMA has already secured a whopping 28.9% pay rise since Labour came to power last year.

However the hard-line union has been demanding a further 26% rise this year, to return their pay in real terms to pre-financial crash levels.

The union has said they were given “no choice but to return to the picket lines” after Mr Streeting rejected this unaffordable demand.

However the Tories have slammed Labour’s broken promise to rebuild relations with NHS staff, saying their failure to resolve the dispute “has cost taxpayers millions and left patients facing a nightmare before Christmas.”

Shadow Health Secretary Stuart Andrew added: “As the NHS braces for another round of walkouts, it is clear stronger action is needed. If Labour is serious about reducing waiting lists and protecting patients, they would back our plans.

“Only the Conservatives have common sense proposals for the NHS, including banning doctors’ strikes to protect both patients and the public finances.”