The government has withdrawn an offer to create 1,000 additional medical training posts after the British Medical Association refused to call off a planned six-day strike by resident doctors.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer had given the union a 48-hour deadline on Monday to postpone the walkout and put a pay offer to members in exchange for the training positions. The deadline passed without the union agreeing to the conditions.

The additional specialty doctor training posts were part of negotiations between the government and the BMA over ongoing disputes regarding pay and working conditions. The union had been asked to suspend strike action and allow members to vote on the government's pay proposal.

The six-day strike by resident doctors is set to proceed as planned, representing a continuation of industrial action that has affected healthcare services. The dispute centers on pay negotiations between the medical union and the government.

The withdrawal of the training posts offer marks an escalation in the standoff between the government and medical professionals. These positions would have expanded opportunities for doctors to pursue specialty training within the National Health Service.