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Would conclude... you can't be a credible opposition unless you're prepared to be substantive in the way you differ from the government. sure, but on the test of credibility, i would not credibly be going into a negotiation saying, "and here's where i would settle". who on earth does that in a negotiation? i've tried to be as straightforward as i can from opposition that we wouldn't be settling on inflation plus 5% because we don't think it's affordable, but we would be willing to negotiate, and i think that's a fair position. it's a position that would've stopped strikes this week. and so, th...

So the disruption that inevitably we're going to see in terms of cancelled operations, poorer services, even poorer than they already are, i think the blame rests squarely at the door of the government. well, the government's being honest because the government says, look, we have accepted the findings of the independent pay review body. we are going to pay what they recommend we should pay to nurses in full. we can't go further than that, but that's what we're prepared to do. is your position very different from that? well, labour's being honest too that the headline demand of the royal colle...

Well, as i said, stephen, that's the one thing i can't be sure about because... why not? we're not in government today and i can't tell you where the negotiation would conclude. butjust on that test of... you can't criticise the government and be a credible opposition, unless you're prepared to be substantive in the way you differ from the government. sure. but on the test of credibility, i would not credibly be going into a negotiation saying, and here's where i would settle. who on earth does that in a negotiation? i've tried to be as straightforward as i can from opposition that we wouldn't...

Well, the government's being honest, because the government says, look, we have accepted the findings of the independent pay review body. we are going to pay what they recommend we should pay to nurses in full. we can't go further than that, but that's what we're prepared to do. is your position very different from that? well, labour's being honest, too, that the headline demand of the royal college of nursing, inflation plus 5%, is not a figure that we could afford if we were in government today. yes, to be clear, that would amount to something between 17% and 19% for nurses. indeed. but we w...

Would conclude. butjust on that test of... you can't criticise the government and be a credible opposition, unless you're prepared to be substantive in the way you differ from the government. sure. but on the test of credibility, i would not credibly be going into a negotiation, saying, and here's where i would settle. who on earth does that in a negotiation? i've tried to be as straightforward as i can from opposition that we wouldn't be settling on inflation plus 5%, because we don't think it's affordable, but we would be willing to negotiate. and i think that's a fair position. it's a posit...