The minister offered a package of £9.5m in additional core funding for services for GPs, but 99.6% of GPs who took part in a referendum voted to reject the 2025/26 General Medical Services (GMS) contract.

Speaking in the Assembly, Nesbitt said he questioned the ‘wisdom of tabling unachievable demands, at a time when the budgetary pressures are at an all-time high'.

He added: ‘I also have to respectfully wonder what they hope to achieve by treating an ally of primary care as an adversary.

‘All, of course, is fair in love, war and funding bids. But these tactics make absolutely no sense to me.'

In response, Dr Frances O'Hagan, chair of BMA's NI GP committee, said: ‘This is the first time a sitting Health Minister in Northern Ireland has chosen to impose the GMS contract on GPs, so to say we are shocked and angry at this decision would be an understatement.

‘We have been warning for well over a decade now that general practice cannot continue in the way it has been - trying to meet increasing demand with fewer GPs and insufficient resource, leading to collapse by contract handbacks and closure. Rather than trying to address this imbalance, the minister seems content with the status quo to continue.'

The BMA said it will now consult with our members to decide the next steps.