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Strikes and caricatures at the third day of the Conservative Party Conference

The third day of the Conservative Party Conference saw the appearance of Conservative member caricatures as members of the British Medical Association protested about junior doctors’ pay.

Former Home Secretary Priti Patel was outside the Midland Hotel in the morning but was hustled past protestors and rejected interview requests from journalists.

BMA began their strike action, picketing their workplaces and marching towards St Peter’s Square.

Paul, one BMA member, said: “The government is in Manchester, they can hear us from here.

“It’s high time they make a change and sit down to negotiate with us once again!”

This was BMA’s fifth day of industrial action, with junior doctors asking the government to increase their salaries.

Speeches and chants of the BMA mentioned that they have “lost hope in the current government and are ready to strike until the next general election”.

Photo credits: Shikhar Talwar

The BMA’s chants were interrupted by five people wearing masks of prominent Conservative MPs.

This included PM Sunak, Liz Truss, and Lee Anderson – each held their own sign, mocking the current government.

Liz Truss’ sign got the most notice, as it read: “Ready to be your next leader.”

Some protestors were spotted being asked to move by Greater Manchester Police officers.

The police argued this set of protestors had moved away from their “designated area of protest” on St Peter’s Square. The protestors argued they should be allowed to protest in any public space.

Eventually, GMP formed a semi-circle around the protestors until they ended their protest.

Featured Image: Shikhar Talwar

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