English teaching unions to strike during Tory conference if pay deal rejected

Action could be directed at Rishi Sunak's keynote speech, seen as vital in run-up to general election campaign

Teachers are preparing to target Rishi Sunak's make-or-break Tory conference speech with strike action this autumn, amid growing cabinet support for a compromise to end months of public sector walkouts.

Should ministers fail to support a deal that would hand teachers a 6.5% increase this year, all major teaching unions in England are increasingly confident that their members will back more strikes when the new school year begins.