Nurses announce back-to-back strikes next month as ambulance Christmas walkout called off

GMB union calls off ambulance strike next week but confirmed new walk out on 11 January

Nurses across England will strike for two days running in January in an escalation of their pay dispute with the government.

Thousands of staff will walk out on 18 and 19 January, heaping further pressure on health secretary Steve Barclay to come to an agreement with the unions.

Meanwhile, the GMB union has called off a strike of ambulance workers on 28 December so the public can “enjoy Christmas without the additional anxiety”.