No 10 declines to say what proportion of union members would have to work during strikes under new law – live

Grant Shapps denies new laws would increase risks of strikes

The National Education Union, which is currently balloting its members on strike action in England and Wales, has not ruled out teachers going on strike over the exam period.

Asked if this was a possibility, Kevin Courtney, the NEU’s joint general secretary, told Sky News this morning:

We don’t want to strike during the exam period. But nothing is ruled out.

If there were exams on, then teachers are preparing the children for those exams for a long period beforehand. You can have a strike on an exam day and not disrupt the exams.

We will stop … if there are talks that we judge to be serious, where the government is actually intending to make a move, not some dog and pony show where it’s just them trying to present themselves to the media as talking.

The Office for National Statistics (ONS) has revealed the regions in England and Wales with the highest proportion of people with no qualifications, as well as the areas with the most degree-educated residents.

More than one in five (21.1%) residents in the West Midlands – one million people – hold no qualifications, figures show.