Prime Minister Rishi Sunak says demands 'not affordable' as nurses at Royal Preston Hospital and Chorley and South Ribble Hospital vote to strike

Speaking at the British-Irish Council summit in Blackpool, Mr Sunak said he shared the public's "respect and gratitude" for nurses, and he was pleased the Health Secretary was meeting unions to resolve the issue. Steve Barclay said discussions with Royal College of Nursing (RCN) general secretary Pat Cullen, the union leader behind the industrial action, were "constructive" and his focus was on patient safety and minimising disruption. But he was understood to be resistant to negotiating on pay, with the union demanding an increase of at least 15% compared with the £1,400 rise awarded earlier this year. Mr Sunak told broadcasters: "Where we are now is, that the unions are asking for a 17% pay rise, and I think most people watching will recognise that clearly that's not affordable.”

The RCN announced on Wednesday that its members in the majority of NHS employers across the UK have backed industrial action. According to several industry publications, staff at the Lancashire Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, which runs the hospitals in Preston and Chorley, have voted to take strike action over pay levels and patient safety concerns. Nurses at Blackpool Victoria Hospital will not be taking part in the national strikes, as the Royal College of Nursing (RCN) say that they didn’t get enough votes from its members. The unions are protesting over a pay award earlier this year of £1,400 for most NHS workers, with the RCN calling for a rise of 5% above the rate of inflation.

The health service will turn its attention to treating emergency patients in a "life-preserving care model", with sources saying some hospitals on strike days will have staffing levels similar to those over Christmas. Some of the most serious cancer cases could still be treated, while urgent diagnostic procedures and assessments will be staffed if they are needed to gather data on potentially life-threatening conditions or those that could lead to permanent disability.

After the meeting in Whitehall, Mr Barclay tweeted: "Nurses do an incredible job and I regret some union members have voted for strikes. "My priority is to keep patients safe and minimise disruption - my door is open & we have agreed to meet again shortly." A Department of Health and Social Care source said they did discuss pay but that the Government position remained that they were "not negotiating" as they try to stick to the NHS pay review body's recommendation rather than the 5% above the rate of inflation that nurses are demanding. The RCN said : "We await a future meeting to address the specifics of our dispute and the reality that our members have voted to strike," a statement added.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said he supports the "right" of the nurses to strike, but refused to commit to above-inflation pay rises for nurses if he was in No 10. "I completely empathise with the position that nurses are in," he told ITV News.