A GP is the new chairman of the BMA. Hamish Meldrum was elected on the first ballot in a meeting of BMA Council.

He will succeed James Johnson, a consultant, who resigned after a letter he wrote to The Times about the junior doctors’ appointment chaos failed to reflect fully the anger felt by other members of council.

Dr Meldrum was chairman of the GPs’ committee. Yesterday he wrote to the new Health Secretary, Alan Johnson, congratulating him on his appointment and raising several issues for discussion, including the continuing problem of training posts for junior doctors.

The BMA said yesterday that despite promises from the outgoing Health Secretary, Patricia Hewitt, that the failed application system would not be used in the second round of applications, doctors were going through the same system.

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