The health secretary then went on to criticise the union for opposing higher taxes on the wealthy, which he said was an option for improving public finances and investing in the NHS.
“Let me tell you, when we ask some of the wealthier to pay more, some of the most effective lobbyists against paying higher tax are the BMA consultants committee and the BMA pensions committee.
“So what they effectively do is say, ‘we want other people to pay the higher salaries for doctors’.
“It’s time for the BMA to get real. We’re not going to be held to ransom. We are going to plow on regardless,” Streeting said.
“And I think it’s become increasingly clear that the BMA is no longer a professional voice for doctors.
“They are increasingly behaving in cartel-like behaviour, and they threaten not just the recovery of the NHS under this government.
“They threaten the future of the NHS full stop. And I think that is a morally reprehensible position to be in.”
A spokesman for the BMA said it was “advocating effectively for doctors to find a solution which gets doctors into jobs, so that they can see patients and reverse lost pay so that it keeps them in the workforce now and in the future”.
“The Secretary of State should recognise the importance of demonstrating that the government values the NHS workforce, not blaming them for taking action when their pay’s value remains a fifth below where it was in 2008, and doctors struggle to find work even as patients wait many months to see a doctor.
The BMA added: “There will be a way to end this dispute, and like any professional association and trade union, we are first and foremost interested in getting back around the table with government to negotiate properly and reach a solution on both jobs and pay for the benefit of all.”