The strike ballot comes after the BMA slammed the Government's offer of a 5.4% average pay rise under its Agenda for Change contracts as ‘wholly inadequate'.

Speaking to the BBC, Streeting said: ‘I don't think strikes are in their interests, in patients interests and I certainly don't think it's in the interest of the NHS overall.'

Commenting on the Government offer last week, BMA council chair Philip Banfield, said: ‘Today's announcement feels like the positive rhetoric we'd heard from ministers was nothing more than that – ministers accepting a woefully inadequate DDRB recommendation demonstrates their lack of commitment to restoring doctors' lost pay. 

‘The failure of both the DDRB and the Government to recognise the need to recruit and retain doctors with pay and conditions that enable them to use their expertise to treat more patients sends a clear message to the profession: we do not need you, we do not want to keep you.'

NHS workers in England on Agenda for Change contracts, covering most staff apart from doctors, dentists and senior managers, have been offered rises of 3.6%.

Nurses in Wales and Northern Ireland have also been offered 3.6%.

In Scotland, the Government has agreed a deal worth 8% over two years with health unions representing all staff apart from doctors and dentists.

Professor Nicola Ranger, RCN general secretary and chief executive, called for talks with the Government, commenting: ‘This pay award is entirely swallowed up by inflation and does nothing to change the status quo – where nursing is not valued, too few enter the profession and too many quit.'