PROTESTERS gatecrashed Sir Keir Starmer’s mission speech on education earlier today to criticise his U-turning on green policy.

Two young activists unfurled a banner and heckled the Labour leader for watering down his previous commitment to spend £28 billion on a green prosperity plan.

One asked him: “Which side is the Labour Party on?” to which he replied: “We are on the side of economic growth.”

Sir Keir looked taken aback as the two, from climate group Green New Deal Rising, called for “a green new deal right now” and for the leader to “stop making U-turns” before being led away from the stage.

His pledges to shatter the “class ceiling” and undertake reform of the education system in his speech at a college in Gillingham, Kent, were broadly welcomed by teaching unions.

But he faced criticism after refusing to commit to supporting free school meals for all primary schoolchildren.

When he was pressed about committing to such a policy on BBC Radio 4’s Today programme, he said: “The money is a big factor, I won’t shy away from it. If we are privileged enough to come into power and serve we will inherit a broken economy, broken public services and we have to have clear rules of what we can’t afford.”

The Labour leader also declined to commit to a 6.5 per cent pay rise for teachers recommended by the pay review body, revealed following a leak to the press, telling that “we’ll have to wait and see” for its official proposals.

In his speech, Sir Keir pledged to improve children’s speaking skills and to give vocational and academic learning equal status, promising a goal of half a million more children reaching early learning targets by 2030.

He also committed to review the curriculum from the beginning of primary school through to the end of compulsory education.

Briefing documents released with his speech confirmed the party would not abolish university tuition fees.

Momentum co-chair Hilary Schan said: “Labour is right to identify breaking down barriers to opportunity as a key focus for government. But Keir Starmer is missing the elephant in the room: investment.

“As trade unions and think tanks alike are saying, to build a better future for our young people, Labour needs to invest. In pay rises for our teachers, to halt the retention crisis. In our dilapidated infrastructure, so kids are learning in the right environment.

“In free school meals, so no child has to learn on an empty stomach. And in the abolition of tuition fees, so young people don’t come of age under a mountain of debt.”

Kevin Courtney, joint general secretary of the National Education Union, said of Labour’s proposals: “If implemented boldly and funded well, it will repair much of the damage of the last 13 years.  

“Schools have lived for many years through a deluge of policies that have been illogical, draconian and ill-informed.  There is potential that Labour’s policy announcement marks the beginning of a new period, in which the multiple problems of the education system are addressed seriously, collaboratively and with a full understanding that significant change requires significant investment.”

The union welcomed Labour recognition of “the multiple reasons for the teacher recruitment and retention problems” and the “promised review of curriculum and assessment. 

“It is heartening that Labour will look at large-scale change.”

The union welcomed Labour’s stress on early year’s education and “the confirmation that Ofsted will be moved away from the use of single grades.”

NEU has previously argued against the academisation of schools — taking them from local authority control to be funded and run by central government.

A Labour education briefing document stated that “the Tories have built a school system where inspection is both dreaded and ineffective, too often identifying challenges felt by schools but stemming from Academy Trusts.”

NASUWT general secretary Dr Patrick Roach told the Morning Star: “Given the scale of power and responsibility multi-academy trusts have for the education of millions of pupils, they should be subject to robust inspection which will provide trust and confidence to parents and the public.”