Before the election, Tony Blair said his three priorities would be education, education, education.

He should have discovered by now that can be said another way - teachers, teachers, teachers. You can no more have satisfactory schools without good teachers than you can have an effective health servic without doctors and nurses.

This Government has done quite a lot for the men and women who educate our children and their latest rise is a bit more. But there should be no pretending that it is enough. Though it would be outrageous if industrial action were called because of it.

Saturday, February 3