Revealed: The militant union leader at the center of doctors’ strikes is a Labor activist who boasted of charging the NHS £1,870 for a shift of strike cover.
- Dr. Tom Dolphin paid an exorbitant sum to cover his protesting colleagues
One militant union leader behind the doctors’ strikes is a Labor activist who has boasted of charging the NHS £1,870 for a single shift of strike cover.
Dr Tom Dolphin made an exorbitant sum to cover his colleagues’ picketing and donated it to the British Medical Association strike fund.
The consultant anesthetist, from London, wrote on X – formerly known as Twitter – that the war fund “helps people strike, which means the strike is stronger and victory will come sooner.”
He is a member of the BMA governing council, a member of the BMA advisory committee and acts as a spokesperson for striking doctors in the media.
The Mail can today reveal that Dr Dolphin is also a Labor activist who has been involved in political campaigns for more than a decade.
Dr Tom Dolphin obtained an exorbitant sum to cover his colleagues’ picketing and donated it to the British Medical Association strike fund.
He has campaigned alongside far-left MP John McDonnell and was Dawn Butler’s election agent during the last two general elections.
She also finds time to promote woke causes, including trans issues and veganism.
Ministers believe the strike is “politically motivated” and that BMA management is not interested in a solution with the current government.
They are also concerned that some consultants appear to be profiting from the strike by charging the NHS inflated overtime rates to cover the absence of junior doctors, more than offsetting the money they lose on strike days.
The consultant anesthetist, from London, wrote on X – formerly known as Twitter – that the war fund “supports people to strike, which means the strike is stronger and victory will come sooner” (Pictured: NHS workers on strike in London earlier this week)
Earlier this summer, almost a dozen Labor MPs joined the BMA pickets, with the latest strike time timed to coincide with the Conservative Party conference in Manchester.
Rishi Sunak said this week that the dispute was “all about politics, not about patients”. The Prime Minister described doctors’ pay demands as “huge and unaffordable”.
Writing on social media in 2019, Dr Dolphin said: “This election has really got our members engaged and working together to form a new and different Labor government.”
In July last year, she posted pictures of herself at a Trans Pride march, adding: “About to leave to let London know that trans rights are human rights!”
Rishi Sunak said this week that the dispute was “all about politics, not about patients”. Prime Minister called doctors’ salary demands ‘huge and unaffordable’
He has described Brexit as a “failure” and “one of the UK’s worst foreign policy decisions in decades”.
A Conservative source said: “It is deeply worrying that a Labor Party activist appears to be at the center of a militant BMA strike which is creating further disruption and misery for patients.”
‘The Government has given doctors a pay rise of between 6 per cent and 10.3 per cent, as well as generous pension reforms, but sadly it appears that the measures underway are increasingly politically motivated.
“Keir Starmer needs to immediately distance Labor from the BMA strikes and back the government’s plan to reduce waiting lists.”
Professor Phil Banfield, chair of the BMA council, said: “The BMA is proud to be a non-partisan organization made up of members from across the political spectrum, all with the common goal of fighting to retain doctors and safeguard the NHS. “.
‘We are incredibly proud of Tom and all the work he does to represent and advocate for our members.
“It is very generous of you to donate this amount to the strike fund, supporting those who would otherwise find it difficult to take part in legal and legitimate industrial action.”
