Teaching unions gear up for fight with Number 10 over AI job-loss fears

Published

2 months ago

March 17, 2025

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A row is brewing between teaching unions and Number 10 over the impact AI could have on jobs, Sky News has learnt.

The National Education Union (NEU), the largest teaching union in the UK, is concerned AI teaching tools could lead to some in the profession losing work, particularly lower-paid teaching assistants whose tasks could become automated.

Alarm bells were set off in January when the government announced it was giving £1m in funding to 16 tech companies to build teacher AI tools “for feedback and marking, driving high and rising education standards”.

NEU general secretary Daniel Kebede told Sky News that while there were positive aspects to the rollout of AI, he felt there had “not been any meaningful discussion with the sector yet” and that the Department for Education (DfE) was “running away with itself”.

“AI can reduce workload, slash bureaucracy and there is a role to reduce admin and workload for teachers – but education and learning is ultimately a relational and social experience,” he said.

“AI can be used in a progressive way or it can be used in the way of Elon Musk,” he added, referring to the tech billionaire who is spearheading Donald Trump’s Department of Government Efficiency (Doge) to cut federal waste.

“Elon Musk says we need to gamify education – his direction of travel is no teachers, no teaching assistants.

“The profession is sick of having things done to it from the top down, without consideration of how it affects us.

“If it is used to free up educators’ time so they can focus their time more effectively, then fair enough – but we will resist a direction of travel that seeks to de-professionalise, deskill or replace teaching assistants.”

A DfE spokesperson rejected the NEU’s accusations, telling Sky News: “It is flat out wrong to suggest that we have not meaningfully engaged with the sector on the use of AI.

“From the initial call for evidence, through to our published policy on AI, we have communicated and engaged with the sector, and we will continue to do so as we use this great new technological era to modernise our education system, back our teachers and deliver for our children.”

The issue of AI nevertheless could pose a challenge for Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson who will have to balance the concerns of the unions alongside the government’s drive to use AI to maximise efficiency and make savings in its bid to stimulate a subdued economy.

She has been subject to a number of hostile internal briefings suggesting her policy agenda, particularly on academies, has been driven by a desire to foster a close relationship with the unions, whose endorsement she may need in a future potential leadership bid.

The NEU has however threatened to strike over the government’s offer for a 2.8% pay rise, while it also issued a critical response to Ms Phillipson’s decision to scrap one-word Ofsted grades in favour of a colour-coded five-point scale.

An ally of Ms Phillipson described the briefings against her as “baseless and misogynistic”.

“It’s increasingly clear that they’re being made by people who are intent on attacking the prime minister by briefing against his allies,” they added.

The scale of the government’s ambition to take on the “blob” – the term used by former Tory education secretary Michael Gove to describe unions, councils and a civil service resistant to change – was made clear when Sir Keir Starmer announced NHS England would be scrapped and brought under ministers’ control in a bureaucracy crackdown.

He made the announcement in a speech heralding the benefits of AI, which he said could reform an “overstretched, unfocused” state, and deliver savings of up to £45bn.

He described AI as a “golden opportunity” to reform the state, which he said was “weaker than it has ever been -overstretched, unfocused, trying to do too much, doing it badly, unable to deliver the security that people need”.

Science and Technology Secretary Peter Kyle admitted the government’s efforts would mean it was “almost certain” civil service staff numbers would be slashed but that the public would appreciate a “leaner, smarter, smaller state over time”.

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Rob Poole, a teacher in the north of England who is also a member of the NEU, said large language models (LLMs) such as Chat GTP and Gemini were already being used in classrooms and help with planning lessons and assessments.

But he said that while AI was useful it could never replace the “personal connection” pupils – especially those with special needs – have with teaching assistants.

“AI doesn’t know that pupil or their needs,” he told Sky News.

“The rollout of AI needs to be done in consultation with the unions, which is not happening at the moment,” he added.

“We are concerned about the de-skilling teachers and a lack of professional autonomy – do we need teachers at all is the next question.”

Politics

UK-US trade deal ‘isn’t worth the paper it’s written on’, says Nobel Prize-winning economist

Published

8 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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UK-US trade deal 'isn't worth the paper it's written on', Nobel Prize-winning economist tells Sky News

A Nobel Prize-winning economist has told Sky News the recently announced UK-US trade deal “isn’t worth the paper it’s written on”.

Sir Keir Starmer and Donald Trump announced the “first-of-a-kind” agreement with a live, televised phone call earlier this week – and the British prime minister hailed the deal as one that will save thousands of jobs in the UK.

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But leading economist Joseph Stiglitz has told Sunday Morning with Trevor Phillips he “wouldn’t view [the deal] as a great achievement”.

“Any agreement with Trump isn’t worth the paper it’s written on,” he said, pointing out the president signed deals with Canada and Mexico during his first term – only to slap them with hiked tariffs within days of returning to the White House this year.

“I would view it as playing into Trump’s strategy,” he said.

“His strategy is divide and conquer, go after the weakest countries, and sort of put the stronger countries in the back.”

The scramble to secure a UK-US trade deal was sparked by Mr Trump’s ‘Liberation Day’ announcement last month, which saw the president hike import tariffs for multiple countries and subsequently send global markets crashing.

China initially faced tariffs of 34% and when Beijing hit the US with retaliatory rates, a trade war quickly ensued.

The US and China now impose tariffs of above 100% on each other, but representatives from the two countries have this weekend met for high-stakes negotiations.

With its response to Mr Trump, Beijing “made it very clear that the US is very dependent on China in so many ways,” Mr Stiglitz said.

“So they’re beginning now to negotiate, but from a position of strength.”

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Asked if he thinks the UK should have focused on its relationship with the EU instead of the US, Mr Stiglitz said: “Very much so.

“My view is that if you had worked with the EU to get a good deal, you could have done better than what you’ve done.

“If it turns out, in the end, when you work it all out, Trump is unhappy, he’ll run. If he’s unhappy, I pray for you.”

Among the terms in the UK-US trade deal are reduced tariffs on British car and steel exports to the US, while the UK has agreed to remove a tariff on ethanol, used to produce beer.

The agreement also opens a new agricultural exchange, with US farmers being given access to the UK for the first time – though UK food standards on imports have not been weakened.

Politics

Ex-UFC champ Conor McGregor touts Irish Bitcoin reserve in presidential bid

Published

15 hours ago

May 11, 2025

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Ex-UFC champ Conor McGregor touts Irish Bitcoin reserve in presidential bid

UFC fighter turned Irish political candidate Conor McGregor has endorsed the idea of building a Bitcoin reserve in his country to give more “power back to the people.”

“Crypto in it’s origin was founded to give power back to the people. An Irish Bitcoin strategic reserve will give power to the people’s money,” McGregor wrote to X on May 9.

The former UFC champion said he would discuss his plans in more detail in an upcoming X spaces, prompting responses from some of the Bitcoin industry’s most prominent leaders.

“We need the greatest minds for this BTC Reserve. Message me and lets chat on my space,” McGregor said in response to Bitcoiner and host of The Pomp Podcast, Anthony Pompliano.

One of US President Donald Trump’s crypto advisors, David Bailey, also reached out, to which McGregor responded: “David message me, let’s discuss your ideas!”

McGregor announced his independent candidacy for the Irish presidency in late March 2025, centering his campaign on anti-immigration policies and combating crime.

Ireland’s next presidential election must take place by Nov. 11, 2025, as the term of the current President, Michael D. Higgins, is set to end the day after.

Establishing a Bitcoin reserve — let alone one coming from a minor, independent party — would be no easy feat.

Despite recent regulatory progress, the US, El Salvador and Bhutan are among the few countries that have established a Bitcoin reserve to date.

McGregor’s political visibility was recently boosted by a trip to the White House, where he met Trump and received his support.

However, McGregor is facing intense scrutiny in Ireland, having recently been found guilty of sexual assault in a civil case — a conviction which he has since appealed — while also previously being investigated for hate speech crimes.

McGregor’s last crypto endeavor failed

McGregor’s push for a Bitcoin reserve comes a little over a month after the McGregor-backed REAL project failed to attract sufficient funding in its token launch pre-sale, prompting a full refund to all token bidders.

The team behind the project, Real World Gaming, only raised $392,315 over a 28-hour presale on April 5 and 6, less than half of the $1 million minimum requirement that it initially set.

Magazine: Adam Back says Bitcoin price cycle ’10x bigger’ but will still decisively break above $100K

Politics

Ukraine presses Russia for 30-day ceasefire as Starmer among leaders in Kyiv for talks

Published

1 day ago

May 10, 2025

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Ukraine presses Russia for 30-day ceasefire as Starmer among leaders in Kyiv for talks

Sir Keir Starmer has joined other European leaders in Kyiv to press Russia to agree an unconditional 30-day ceasefire.

The prime minister is attending the summit alongside French President Emmanuel Macron, recently-elected German Chancellor Friedrich Merz and Polish Prime Minister Donald Tusk.

It is the first time the leaders of the four countries have travelled to Ukraine at the same time – arriving in the capital by train – with their meeting hosted by President Volodymyr Zelenskyy.

It comes after Donald Trump called for “ideally” a 30-day ceasefire between Kyiv and Moscow, and warned that if any pause in the fighting is not respected “the US and its partners will impose further sanctions”.

Security and defence analyst Michael Clarke told Sky News presenter Samantha Washington the European leaders are “rowing in behind” the US president, who referred to his “European allies” for the first time in this context in a post on his Truth Social platform.

“So this meeting is all about heaping pressure on the Russians to go along with the American proposal,” he said.

“It’s the closest the Europeans and the US have been for about three months on this issue.”

Ukraine’s foreign minister Andrii Sybiha said Ukraine and its allies are ready for a “full, unconditional ceasefire” for at least 30 days starting on Monday.

Ahead of the meeting on Saturday, Sir Keir, Mr Macron, Mr Tusk and Mr Merz released a joint statement.

European leaders show solidarity – but await Trump’s backing

Dominic Waghorn

International affairs editor

@DominicWaghorn

The hope is Russia’s unilateral ceasefire, such as it’s worth, can be extended for a month to give peace a chance.

But ahead of the meeting, Ukrainian sources told Sky News they are still waiting for President Donald Trump to put his full weight behind the idea.

The US leader has said a 30-day ceasefire would be ideal, but has shown no willingness yet for putting pressure on Russian president Vladimir Putin to agree.

The Russians say a ceasefire can only come after a peace deal can be reached.

European allies are still putting their hopes in a negotiated end to the war despite Moscow’s intransigence and President Trump’s apparent one-sided approach favouring Russia.

Ukrainians would prefer to be given enough economic and military support to secure victory.

But in over three years, despite its massive economic superiority to Russia and its access to more advanced military technology, Europe has not found the political will to give Kyiv the means to win.

Until they do, Vladimir Putin may decide it is still worth pursuing this war despite its massive cost in men and materiel on both sides.

“We reiterate our backing for President Trump’s calls for a peace deal and call on Russia to stop obstructing efforts to secure an enduring peace,” they said.

“Alongside the US, we call on Russia to agree a full and unconditional 30-day ceasefire to create the space for talks on a just and lasting peace.”

The leaders said they were “ready to support peace talks as soon as possible”.

But they warned that they would continue to “ratchet up pressure on Russia’s war machine” until Moscow agrees to a lasting ceasefire.

“We are clear the bloodshed must end, Russia must stop its illegal invasion, and Ukraine must be able to prosper as a safe, secure and sovereign nation within its internationally recognised borders for generations to come,” their statement added.

“We will continue to increase our support for Ukraine.”

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The European leaders are set to visit the Maidan, a central square in Ukraine’s capital where flags represent those who died in the war.

They are also expected to host a virtual meeting for other leaders in the “coalition of the willing” to update them on progress towards a peacekeeping force.

Military officers from around 30 countries have been involved in drawing up plans for a coalition, which would provide a peacekeeping force in the event of a ceasefire being agreed between Russia and Ukraine.