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Junior doctors are today beginning a fresh round of strikes in their long-running dispute with the government over pay.

They are asking for a path towards restoration of pay to 2010 levels, which would be a rise of around 35%.

The shadow health secretary, Wes Streeting, has said if Labour wins the election on 4 July, he will meet junior doctors on 5 July to reach a solution, and we asked business minister Kevin Hollinrake if the Tories will do the same.

He replied that government “should always have a discussion, always sit across the negotiation table”.

He said an offer to resolve the strike has “already been made”, a 9% pay increase was given this year, and there were “discussions about a further 3% on top of that”, which he described a “fair figures”.

But on the broader demand for pay restoration, the minister said: “What the junior doctors are asking for is 35%, which taxpayers, of course, would have to fund.

“I don’t think that’s affordable. And it’d be interesting to see what Labour would do in the same situation.”

Mr Hollinrake went on to say that the timing of this strike is “interesting”.

“I’m not going to judge some of his motivations for decisions. But it is interesting timing, and I regret the decision to strike because we know this doesn’t help waiting lists, which we want to bring down.

“We are bringing them down now, but part of the reasons why the waiting lists are as high as they are is partially because of the strike.”