In a letter to England's 50,000 GPs, Streeting conveyed his frustration with the BMA over recent contract changes, which made it easier for patients to contact them online between 8am and 6.30pm Monday to Friday.

He has underlined his concern about the union's behaviour by ending its longstanding role as the sole negotiator of the GP contract for 2026-27.

Streeting's letter was prompted by a recent speech by the head of the BMA's GP committee, Dr Katie Bramall, in which she accused ministers of being ‘traitors' to their profession and of betraying and lying to them.

He wrote: ‘This speech was not just deeply unprofessional and unbecoming of a professional representative body, it was misleading.

‘The BMA agreed these contract changes [on online access to GPs] in February 2025 and any suggestions to the contrary are factually incorrect.'

He said that the BMA was not displaying ‘mutual respect and professionalism' in its dealings with the government. ‘Your union representatives are currently making it impossible for me and my officials to engage in good faith in the way we would all want.'

In response, Bramall, said: ‘I want to thank the health secretary for recognising the hard work of GPs and practice staff. A near-record 40 million patients used NHS GP services in October. We warned this would happen – current pressures faced by practices are unsafe, unsustainable, and need to be addressed.

'We're worried that the Government doesn't understand that safe, meaningful patient care can be delivered only when practices are supported and resourced. 34p per patient per day for essential healthcare services – less than the price of an apple – was already inadequate resourcing, and the online access policy change further exacerbates this.'

 She added: ‘This is not about point scoring. It's about the risk to patient safety. We have repeatedly sought to work with the Government all year to make their aspirations a safe success but, in recent weeks, attempts have been thwarted by incessant media briefings and nameless sources engaging in what I can only call relentless attacks on the integrity of the profession. However, we stand ready to put things right, as is our duty to the staff and patients we represent, to ensure care is safe for patients and practice staff to move forward constructively.'

BMA council chair Tom Dolphin said: ‘We would have much preferred the Health Secretary to contact the BMA privately and directly to seek de-escalation, rather than via the media.

‘Governments do not get to decide their negotiating partners, and nor should they – we continue to call on Wes Streeting to get round the table and take a sound and solid approach to negotiating with the democratically elected representatives of England's GP profession. There are clearly difficult and uncomfortable conversations to be had, and we may often disagree, but both parties ultimately want the same goal: clinically safe environments to meet patient need, and a workforce that feels safe and supported.'