Labour's broken teacher promise exposed as 1,900 fewer in classrooms than 2024

Labour's broken teacher promise exposed as 1,900 fewer in classrooms than 2024Labour has overseen a fall of 1,900 teachers since 2024 despite pledging 6,500 more, with newly qualified teachers at their lowest level since records began. Share Article Share Article Facebook X LinkedIn Reddit Bluesky Email Copy Link Link copied Bookmark Add us as preferred source Comments By Aaron Newbury, Political Correspondent 15:18, Thu, Jun 4, 2026 Updated: 15:18, Thu, Jun 4, 2026 Labour pledged 6,500 more teachers in 2024 (Image: Getty)Labour was accused of breaking its general election promise to recruit more teachers, as official figures showed the total number has actually fallen. Labour's general election manifesto included a promise to "recruit 6,500 new expert teachers in key subjects". However official figures today showed the total number of teachers in England is down by 1,900 compared to 2024. It comes after the party launched a tax raid against the country's private schools, which saw VAT charged on fees for the first time. window.scriptsToLoad.push({url:'https://live.primis.tech/live/liveView.php?s=118222&vp_content=plembed3a6btjknzwqh&cbuster=%%CACHEBUSTER%%&playerApiId=v118222',triggeredBy:'tcfLoaded',delay:1500,containerId:'ovp-primis',title:"Primis player",beforeLoad:()=>{window.top.addEventListener('primisPlayerInit',e=>{try{if(e.detail&&e.detail.playerApiId==="v118222"){if(window.document.getElementsByClassName('jwplayer')[0]){e.detail.float('disable')}}}catch(e){}})},}) New data showed that thousands of teachers are leaving the profession, with the number choosing to take up the role dropping. Conservative shadow education secretary Laura Trott MP told the Daily Express the figures represent "another broken promise" by Labour. She blamed the government's decision to tax education, which she said had served to "pile more pressure on state schools." Article continues below ADVERTISEMENT Get the latest politics news - straight from our team in Westminster and...