Part of Opposition Day — [8th allotted day] – in the House of Commons at 4:21 pm on 28 October 2015.
My right hon. Friend is completely right, and I will come to some of those challenges later in my speech.
When the NHS is facing unprecedented challenges, it cannot be right to pick a fight with the very people who keep our hospitals running. I come here today to ask the Secretary of State to do three things: to show that he is willing to compromise by withdrawing the threat of contract imposition; to guarantee that no junior doctor will be paid less to do the same, or more, than they are currently doing; and to ensure financial penalties for any hospital that forces doctors to work excessive and exhausting hours.