Fury as junior doctors’ strike leader says ‘I don’t want to work in the NHS –I want to go to Canada’

A JUNIOR doctors’ strike leader sparked outrage yesterday — by revealing he would like to go to work in Canada.

BMA union chief Rob ­Laurenson revealed that he wanted to escape the NHS as his job was marred by paperwork and “pathways”.

His union has staged several walkouts at hospitals during 2023 — with 1.2million operations and appointments axed — to chase a 35 per cent pay rise.

A six-day walkout from Wednesday, the longest in NHS history, will see about 200,000 appointments lost.

Asked about his job, Laurenson told The Daily Telegraph: “The question is do I want to do it here.”

Asked where he would go instead, he said Vancouver for its beauty and “similar values” to the UK.

Paul Bristow MP, who sits on the Health Committee, said many junior docs wanted to accept an offered 11.8 per cent pay rise.

He said: “Being left in agony and risking their long term health is not the New Year gift thousands of patients will want in January.

“Demanding 35 per cent is unreasonable and is a bitter pill to swallow for those waiting.

“The BMA are letting down those junior doctors who want the very fair 11.8 per cent NHS offer and to care for patients.

“They need to call off the strikes and put the offer to their members.”

On Laurenson, he added: “If he could leave the BMA to its members, I think NHS patients would definitely ­benefit from Rob Laurenson relocating to Canada.”