Christine Blower, who topped the poll in the first ballot with 13,693 votes out of a total 40,057, is a member of the Campaign for a Democratic and Fighting Union, an organisation which does not support the union’s leadership.

The vote coincided with the result of a poll on possible reforms of the NUT’s procedures on nominating officers and the way motions to conference are organised. The changes are part of the leadership’s battle against the Left in the union.

At the last annual conference the Left won every vote and attempted to force through policy against the wishes of Doug McAvoy, the general secretary. In response Mr McAvoy has initiated a number of ballots of the whole membership which have overturned conference decisions on a one-day strike over class sizes and over pay.

He claimed victory again as more than 80 per cent voted yes to have the opportunity to vote on which candidates are nominated for office, on the submission of motions to annual conference, on deciding which conference decisions should be implemented, on changes to union rules and on the control of donations and affiliations to outside organisations.

More than 60 per cent said they wanted to be balloted on the ordering of the annual conference agenda. This poll will go forward to next year’s conference.

Mr McAvoy said: “Union members want to be involved in developing union policy but the demands on their out-of-school hours has made it increasingly difficult for them to attend local meetings.”

Mr McAvoy believes that some of the union’s local associations have been the target of far-Left organisations.

At next year’s conference Christine Blower will be senior vice- president while the president will be Carole Regan, a member of the other main left-wing grouping within the NUT, the Socialist Teachers Alliance. Maureen Skevington, a supporter of the leadership, has been elected junior vice- president. Ms Blower said she was in favour of voting on the proposals in the poll but claimed the questions were written in a way that made it difficult to vote anything other than yes.

“But when the electorate had to make a decision about choosing between two different platforms, they chose me,” she said. “I am concerned that if the Hamilton House machine continues to undermine the local associations it will affect how we can operate as trade union members. These are the people who negotiate with the local authorities and do a lot of the union’s work.

“We want to investigate why there isn’t a higher level of participation and then do something about it.”