It is the biggest day of industrial action we have seen since the establishment of the NHS almost 70 years ago.
The problem, as with other large public areas where action is being taken, is that unions don’t want to accept pay increases that don’t match inflation. They argue that what would otherwise be a pay cut would be accepted.
Sunak was very firm in his resolution to fight these demands. The big problem for him and the Tories is that it is not being supported by polling. He has not got public opinion on his side and that may be decisive at the end of the day.
So far it is difficult to see either side changing their positions which will likely mean more disruption to vital public services such as the NHS.
On a personal level I was booked in for an operation on my spine at an NHS hospital last Friday and I was absolutely terrified it would be back to the strike periods. Fortunately for me it happened but I can be confused about the follow-up appointment.
Does Sunak fully realize the scale of the challenge he has created for himself? He is a politician who became MP in 2015 with very little experience.
Mike Smithson