BMA votes to oppose Brexit “as a whole” and calls for public final say on deal

Doctors at the BMA’s annual representative meeting have voted to oppose Brexit “as a whole” and called for the public to have a final say on the exit deal negotiated by the government.

The backing of all seven parts of the motion means a change in BMA policy on the European Union, as it has adopted a neutral stance until now. After a debate on 27 June some 76% of representatives voted to remain in the single market, and 91% supported free movement of healthcare workers and research staff.

William Sapwell, a junior doctor who proposed the motion, said that the NHS could not afford to lose any doctors from Europe “at a time when our workforce is stretched and rota gaps …