The Green Party’s surging popularity among teachers should be a “wake-up call” to Labour, the general secretary of the National Education Union (NEU) has warned.
Daniel Kebede told a press briefing that the Greens and its leader Zack Polanski “align very closely with the education policies” of the teachers’ union.
The Greens, who have five MPs, “are the only party at the minute…that are advocating for an end to austerity in schools and education”.
Kebede also praised its stance on Ofsted and free school meals.
The Greens’ 2024 manifesto pledged £8bn more for schools, including a £2bn pay uplift for teachers.
It also pledged to end “high-stakes” pupil testing, scrap Ofsted and give all pupils free lunches.
Polanski will speak at the NEU’s annual conference later this month.
Kebede said the union is “very proud” to be politically independent, but added: “We will work with politicians, organisations, NGOs, who align with our policies.”
He said Polanski is clearly “the most favoured politician amongst our members at the moment”.
“If I was the Labour government, I would certainly treat this as a bit of a wake-up call.”
Labour support plunges
NEU polling in December found support for Labour had fallen by 70 per cent since the general election.
Among more than 3,700 members polled, 60 per cent said they voted Labour in July 2024. Yet just 18 per cent said they would vote Labour again if a snap election was held now.
The Green Party topped popularity rankings, with support rising from 10 to 23 per cent.
Liberal Democrat support was at 7 per cent, Conservatives at 4 per cent and Reform UK at 6 per cent.
‘Hyper-austerity’ with Reform
Kebede told journalists the NEU has “real, broad concern around what a Reform government would mean for education,” should Nigel Farage’s party win the next election.
He believes Reform would “not only…bring back hyper-austerity in public services, including education, they will make education a real hostile place for children who are LGBT, black, migrant, refugee.”
The NEU has previously described Reform as “far-right”.
“They work contrary as a political organisation to the views of our union and our profession more broadly,” said Kebede.
Suella Braverman MP, Reform’s new education spokesperson, would not be a “positive force for education”.
Braverman responded: “These comments show everything that is wrong with our education system.”
She accused unions of “driving down standards and failing teachers, parents, and children by supporting a dumbing-down of the curriculum and promoting sexualised content in our schools”.
“Reform UK doesn’t care about your skin colour, your gender, or your religion. We want a world-class education system that is built on love of our country, excellence and high standards, not ridiculous DEI policies that are poisoning the minds of young people.”
A string of motions will be voted on at the NEU’s Brighton conference on March 30. Concerns over the rise of the right and SEND reform look set to be key themes.
Kebede warned over the recent white paper: “You can’t have inclusion done on the cheap.”
