After Labour caved in to resident doctors... £152,000-a-year NHS consultants to strike

Published: 00:49, 7 July 2026 | Updated: 00:54, 7 July 2026 Senior doctors earning an average £152,000 a year have voted to strike for more pay and shorter hours. The British Medical Association is demanding a multi-year pay deal worth an extra 33 per cent – or £50,000. The union also wants members' standard rotas slashed from 40 to 35 hours, plus higher fees for out-of-hours work and 'sleep disturbances' when on call. It comes just a week after the Tories accused Labour of 'shaking the magic money tree' to 'bribe' resident doctors into ending their industrial dispute. Former health secretary Wes Streeting had warned that caving in would embolden other NHS staff and could end up costing taxpayers billions of pounds. His successor James Murray urged consultants not to 'rush into another cycle of unnecessary and disruptive industrial action' amid fears it would hamper efforts to reduce waiting lists and cause patients to suffer. Mr Murray said: 'Consultants are some of the highest paid public sector staff and among the top 2 per cent of earners in the country. 'After a 28.5 per cent increase in basic starting pay over the last four years and with the average consultant now earning over £152,000 a year, there is simply no justification for strikes that will cause disruption to patients and the NHS.' Resident doctors on the picket line outside Royal Victoria Hospital in Belfast on June 29 Health secretary James Murray speaking at speaking during the State of Health and Care Conference at Central Hall in Westminster Consultant strikes have the potential to be far more disruptive than those by resident doctors.  This is because consultants can cover for absent resident doctors but not the other way around. According to the BMA, some 35,067 consultants were eligible to vote and 18,069 took part – a turnout of 51.53 per cent.  Almost 14,000 (76 per cent) said they would be prepared to strike, giving the union a legal mandate which lasts 12 months.  But the Department of Health was quick to highlight that this means only 39.1 per cent of consultants who are BMA members voted for strike action, which is equivalent to a fifth of consultants working in the NHS. Giving all 66,759 consultants working in the health service a £50,000 rise would cost £3.3billion. Consultants in England last walked out between July and October 2023, which included two strikes co-ordinated with resident doctors. Tory health spokesman Stuart Andrew said the latest vote strengthened the argument for banning doctors from striking, as is the case with the military and police. Former health secretary Wes Streeting arrives at the Houses of Parliament on June 22 Residents doctors striking over pay and working conditions on the picket line outside Bristol Royal Infirmary He said: 'Labour does not have the backbone to stand up to the militant BMA, leaving patients to pay the price through more uncertainty yet again. 'Just one week after Labour caved in to resident doctors, the NHS is now bracing for another round of strikes.' The BMA says consultants' pay is 26 per cent lower in real terms than it was 17 years ago and it wants to restore this gap. It adds that consultants in England on the highest pay band earn £16,000 less than their equivalent in Wales and it wants this 'corrected immediately'.   The Government awarded consultants a 3.5 per cent rise in March.