In a joint statement, BMA consultants committee co-chairs Dr Helen Neary and Dr Shanu Datta, said they had tried to negotiate with the government in “good faith”, but “time-and-time again ministers have kicked the can down the road”.

“Unfortunately, that road has now run out, and we have been forced to announce strikes.

“Consultants take their responsibilities incredibly seriously, and striking does not come naturally, but we are hearing loud and clear from the profession that they have had enough.”

Average earnings for consultants top £150,000 a year.

Basic pay starts at £113,500, with the most experienced getting £150,500.

But many earn tens of thousands in extra payments and awards.

In the strike ballot, 76% of consultants who took part voted in favour of strike action, with just over half of eligible BMA members taking part.

The government says this represents only around one in five consultants employed by the NHS in England voting for strike action, as nearly half are not BMA members.

Health Secretary Yvette Cooper said the government had been in “constructive discussions” with the BMA so it was “disappointing” the strike dates had been announced.

She said taking strike action would be “irresponsible” and “place the health service under even greater pressure”.

The government estimates if the BMA demands were met in full it would cost £2 billion to £3 billion a year.

The strike announcement comes as consultants and other doctors are taking part in strike action during November in Northern Ireland.

Consultants last took strike action in England in 2023. The long-running dispute involving resident doctors in England came to an end earlier this year after more than three years of on-and-off strike action.