About 1.3 million children in England will be able to claim free school meal vouchers during the holidays, after a campaign by footballer Marcus Rashford.
The Manchester United forward, 22, welcomed the six-week voucher for eligible children, saying: “Look at what we can do when we come together.”
Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer said the move was a “welcome U-turn”.
Prime Minister Boris Johnson praised Mr Rashford’s “contribution to the debate around poverty”.
The government had previously insisted it would not award free school meals vouchers in England outside of term time, prompting the footballer to pen an open letter to MPs asking for the decision to be reversed.
All children eligible for free school meals in term time in England will benefit from the “Covid summer food fund”, Downing Street said.
Scotland and Wales will also continue with the voucher programme, while Northern Ireland’s First Minister Arlene Foster has said she will be proposing that the scheme be extended over the summer “if the necessary finances can be secured”.
The support in England works out at about £15 a week per recipient, and will cost in the region of £120m.
BBC political correspondent Chris Mason said he was told this was “additional funding agreed by the Treasury”.
In a statement “to all MPs” posted on Twitter, Mr Rashford said he was “thankful” that they had given families “one less thing to worry about”.
“This was never about me or you, this was never about politics, this was a cry out for help from vulnerable parents all over the country and I simply provided a platform for their voices to be heard,” he wrote.
Mr Rashford added: “The wellbeing of our children should always be a priority.”
Families whose children qualify for free meals have received vouchers or parcels during the coronavirus lockdown.
Many families have been issued with either an electronic voucher or gift card worth £15 each week per pupil, to spend at supermarkets including Sainsbury’s, Asda, Tesco, Morrisons, Waitrose and M&S.
Almost 1.3 million school children in England – accounting for 15.4% of state-educated pupils – were eligible for and claiming free school meals in January 2019, according to the latest available data.
Official figures for 2019 showed the need was greatest in parts of London, the north and Midlands where between a quarter and a third of all pupils were getting the free meals.
The prime minister’s official spokesman said: “Owing to the coronavirus pandemic the prime minister fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer.
“To reflect this we will be providing a Covid summer food fund. This will provide food vouchers covering the six-week holiday period.”
He added the measure was a response to the “unique circumstances of the pandemic” and would not continue beyond the summer. Those eligible will be children who already qualify for free school meals.
Referring to Mr Rashford, he added: “The PM welcomes his contribution to the debate around poverty and respects the fact that he has been using his profile as a leading sportsman to highlight important issues.”
In his letter to MPs posted on Monday, the Manchester United forward drew on his own experience of relying on free school meals and food banks growing up.
As a striker with a killer instinct in front of goal, Marcus Rashford is used to beating defences.
And he’s cut straight through a nervous defensive wall of Conservative ministers – leaving them wrong-footed and facing an embarrassing own goal.
A number of Tory MPs had already voiced their disquiet – and how many of them really wanted to find themselves up against an England football hero, and the risk of children going hungry?
The U-turn means the government will pay the extra £120m to extend free school meal vouchers across the six weeks of the holidays, available to 1.3 million children.
It’s a one-off deal for the unprecedented pressure caused by the coronavirus – with food banks warning of growing demands.
But Mr Rashford, and his 2.7 million Twitter followers, proved a tough target for the government – and he’s beaten them with a fast-footed appeal directly to public opinion.
Announcing the one-off fund in a debate in Parliament, Education Secretary Gavin Williamson said: “We are listening to those who need the most help, and taking unprecedented action to make sure no child goes hungry during this period.”
Earlier, Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey was widely criticised for a comment she made in response to Mr Rashford’s campaign.
Mr Rashford had asked others to think about struggling parents who have had their “water turned off” during the coronavirus lockdown, and whose children have gone hungry.
Ms Coffey replied to his Twitter thread on free school meals, saying “water cannot be disconnected”.
Mr Rashford said he was “concerned” she had only acknowledged part of his message, and urged her to help “make a difference”.
Among Tory MPs praising the U-turn was Tim Loughton, who said he was “delighted” the government had “listened to Conservative backbenchers”.
Opposition parties also welcomed the move – while Manchester United said Mr Rashford was a “hero”.
The children’s commissioner for England, Anne Longfield, said she was pleased ministers had “seen sense and changed their minds”.
Ms Longfield, who wrote to Chancellor Rishi Sunak about the issue last week, added: “Free school meals are the last line of defence against poverty and hunger for many families.”
‘So much less stressful’
Sonja from near Basingstoke, who has three teenage children, said the government’s change of heart was “wonderful”.
She told BBC Radio 5 Live Drive she found herself out of work and relying on benefits because of the pandemic. She does not start her new job until September.
The free school meals vouchers have been a lifeline so far, Sonja says, adding that she was grateful to Mr Rashford for his campaign.
“[The U-turn] takes away that worry of the six-week summer holiday and makes it so much less stressful.” she said.
But she added: “I feel sad that it had to be a campaign. They have been throwing money to keep everyone afloat but left behind people on universal credit and free school meals.”
Dev Sharma, Youth MP for Leicestershire, said the vouchers have been a safety net for his family and expressed his delight the government has decided to fund them over the summer after all.
The 15-year-old said the move “means the world” to him and his brother “to know that my mum and dad have now sufficient funds to feed [us] over six weeks”.
“I can now have access to a decent meal and be on the same level as my peers from more affluent backgrounds,” he said.
Several charities have praised Mr Rashford’s campaign.
Andrew Forsey, chief executive of Feeding Britain, said the footballer has “done incredibly well for himself, but hasn’t forgotten his roots”.
But Helen Barnard, acting director of the Joseph Rowntree Foundation, said the government’s scheme “only covers a minority of children in poverty and the pressures are much wider than just school meals”.
She said “soaring numbers of families” were having to rely on foodbanks to get through the pandemic, even with the voucher scheme in place – and said more support was needed.
Source: BBC
