Strike set to cost NHS £250m, Streeting says as doctors hit the picket line

The strike by resident doctors in England will cost the NHS £250m, the health secretary has admitted as he apologised to patients on the first morning of the five-day walkout.

Giving evidence to the Commons Health and Social Care Committee, Wes Streeting said he “deeply regrets that we’re in this situation”, warning: “These strikes are going to come at a cost around a quarter of a billion pounds.”