BRITAIN’S biggest education union raised doubts today over Labour’s manifesto pledge to recruit 6,500 new teachers and warned any incoming government will face a strike ballot should it fail to offer a backdated above-inflation pay rise by September.

National Education Union (NEU) general secretary Daniel Kebede said “cowardly” Education Secretary Gillian Keegan had refused to publish an independent pay recommendation and would be leaving the dispute in Labour counterpart Bridget Phillipson’s in-tray.

He said his union will be ready to demand “immediate” publication of the School Teachers’ Review Body Report in full after the July 4 general election – and enter pay negotiations ahead of a snap poll of its pay offer in September.