UKIP’S influence on British politics could mean kids lose out as more cash is spent to appease older voters, a teachers’ union leader warned yesterday.

National Association of Head Teachers (NAHT) general secretary Russell Hobby made the prediction in a new year’s blog published by the union.

Mr Hobby said a “clear and honest commitment to protect school funding” from all parties was top of his wish list for 2015.

But the union leader expressed concern that Labour, Tory and Lib Dem leaders will cut the schools budget to offer pre-election bungs to older voters being targeted by Nigel Farage’s right-wing party.

“At election time, the promises tend to target the floating voters,” said Mr Hobby.

“We’ve already seen the major parties trying to halt the feared rush to Ukip at the ballot box.

“Given the typical demographics at play there, this may bias spending towards the interests of older voters.

And he warned: “Diverting spending away from the young is the ultimate false economy, although the price is not paid until long after the decisions are made.

“Not a good recipe for electoral politics, sadly, but a true test of the principles of our political leaders.”

His comments came as shadow education secretary Tristram Hunt pledged to stop funding Tory free schools if Labour wins the general election.

Mr Hunt told BBC Radio 5 Live’s Pinaar’s Politics that this would be top of a list of possible cuts he has been told to present to Labour’s treasury team in the coming weeks.