As junior doctors prepare to walk out from 17–22 December, facing a winter flu wave that could send NHS admissions through the ceiling, the government says: “Now’s not the time.”But for junior MPs, it’s always the time—for recess, raises, and recognition without results.
Let’s compare them properly. Side by side. Same units. Same country. Two very different levels of accountability. One’s checking pulses, the other’s checking Twitter likes.
📊 Junior Doctors vs Junior MPs: A Performance Appraisal You Won’t See in Parliament
| Category | Junior Doctor | Junior MP |
| Annual Salary | £32,000–£43,000 (starting; with overtime, maybe £50k if they’re lucky) | £91,346 base + thousands in expenses (some claim up to £30k extra) |
| Training Time | 5–6 years of medical school + 2 foundation years = 8 years before full registration | Zero formal training required. Can become MP at 18 with no degree, no work history |
| Hours per Week | Often 48–72 hours, nights, weekends, bank holidays | Officially 40-ish hours. But Parliament sits ~150 days/year. That’s ~3 days/week |
| Pay per Hour | ~£14–16/hour (and that’s after years of training) | ~£55–70/hour (not including side gigs, second jobs, or “consultancy”) |
| Annual Leave | 27–32 days + bank holidays (if they’re not covering them) | Recess time = ~10–12 weeks off/year, including generous summer & Christmas breaks |
| Performance Checks | Annual reviews, mandatory revalidation, clinical audits, patient safety evaluations | No formal reviews. Re-elected every 5 years if voters still remember their name |
| Job Stakes | Mistakes can literally kill someone | Mistakes might get a stern headline—or a promotion |
| Strike Impact | Accused of “abandoning patients” | Can skip votes, debates, even committee sessions—no punishment |
And let’s not forget: junior doctors must pay £9,000+ per year for medical school. Junior MPs? They’re often paid to be candidates by parties before they’re even elected.
🩺 Junior Doctors Get Monitored Like Machines — Junior MPs Get Monitored by… Nobody?
Doctors are tracked, assessed, peer-reviewed, and dragged over hot coals if they’re five minutes late to a ward round. They have revalidation every 5 years, must prove ongoing competency, and are bound by the General Medical Council’s strict codes.
Junior MPs? They can vanish from the Commons for weeks, skip votes, or fall asleep on the backbenches—zero formal consequence. Their “performance check” is an election every 5 years, assuming their party doesn’t just slot them into a safe seat like political IKEA furniture.
And when they do show up? A junior MP can clock in, sit for 20 minutes, say nothing, vote the way the whip tells them, and go home to a taxpayer-funded flat. Try that as a junior doctor and you’ll be facing a tribunal.
💀 Challenges 💀
One of these groups is walking out to demand fair treatment. The other is walking into TV studios to tell them it’s “not the right time.”
So here’s your challenge: Which one do you trust with your life, your taxes, and your future?
💬 Sound off in the blog comments. Tell us who deserves a raise—and who deserves a reality check.
📢 Like, share, and tag a mate who still thinks “they all get paid too much anyway.”
📝 The most brutal, brilliant, or beautifully bitter takes will be printed in the next issue.
Chameleon Magazine 
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