WhatsApp leak reveals BMA wanted to 'draw out' junior doctors' dispute with government

The British Medical Association (BMA) have been left red-faced after a trove of private messages relating to the junior doctors' contract dispute were leaked. The WhatsApp messages between BMA officials revealed that the union leaders wanted to "draw" out the row with the government.

The months' worth of conversations, published in the Health Service Journal, also showed that pay was a top concern for the BMA, rather than just the work condition issues the union raised in public.

Dr Johann Malawana, the BMA's junior doctors' chair, urged his fellow executive committee members to tie Department of Health up "in knots for the next 16-18 months".

However, Malawana also reportedly warned against an all-out strike from the NHS England medics, claiming the removal of emergency cover would be "a vanity event for juniors".

"Private discussions should not be mistaken for the agreed strategy of the BMA junior doctors committee, which was communicated publicly," a spokesperson for the union said.

"It is less what was said during the heightened atmosphere of the biggest dispute between junior doctors and the government for 40 years that matters. What's important is what was done in order to reach a negotiated agreement and ensure that the long-term interests of patients and the NHS are protected."

The Department of Health declined to comment on the leak of the more than 1,000 messages, but the story is likely to be a boost for Health Secretary Jeremy Hunt. The parties have since resolved the bitter dispute after crunch talks at mitigation service Acas in May.