No health secretary in the history of the NHS has ever walked away from the job feeling an increased fondness for the British Medical Association (BMA).

The professional body representing doctors likes to pretend it is rather more than just a trade union. But it tends to fight harder and for longer than the traditional ones.

Many ministers who’ve held a number of briefs across government have said the BMA was far harder to deal with than the more notorious RMT or Unite unions. The stand-offs can last for years, the strikes are visceral and the war of words even more so. They mostly end in tears for both sides.

And yet Wes Streeting’s current fight with the BMA could leave the Health Secretary strengthened rather than bruised. He has made an improved offer to avert strikes by resident – formerly junior – doctors in the middle of a particularly bad flu outbreak, promising to give UK-trained medics priority for NHS jobs, and to address other frustrations including the cost of exam fees and a shortage of specialty training places.

The union is consulting its members........

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