NHS workers in the GMB union held a crunch meeting with reps yesterday to plan their next steps after overwhelmingly rejecting a below-inflation pay deal.

Hospital and ambulance workers voted 87 per cent against a three-year, 6.5 per cent deal, with inflation expected to rise by 9.6 per cent over the period, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility.

Members of 13 other unions have accepted the offer.