NHS consultants in England, who earn an average of £152,000 a year, have voted to strike in pursuit of higher pay and shorter working hours. The move matters because it threatens further disruption to a health service already struggling with waiting lists, and it comes just a week after the government reached a deal to end the separate dispute with resident doctors.

The British Medical Association is seeking a multi-year pay rise worth an extra 33 per cent, or around £50,000, along with a cut in standard rotas from 40 to 35 hours and higher fees for out-of-hours work and on-call "sleep disturbances". Health Secretary James Murray urged consultants not to "rush into another cycle of unnecessary and disruptive industrial action", noting they are among the top 2 per cent of earners and have already received a 28.5 per cent rise in basic starting pay over four years. The Conservatives had earlier accused Labour of "shaking the magic money tree" to settle with resident doctors, while former health secretary Wes Streeting warned such concessions could embolden other NHS staff.