MPs call on Jeremy Hunt to extend free school meals to all primary pupils

Jeremy Corbyn Sadiq Khan Jeremy Hunt Stephen Timms Caroline Lucas Tim Farron city London Scotland UPS Provident COST Party

13.03.2023 - 21:41

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theguardian.com:

The chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, has been urged to use his spring budget to extend free school meals for all primary pupils.

The Scottish government has committed to providing free school meals for all primary schoolchildren, while in Wales the rollout of universal primary free school meals began in September.

But in England, only in London will all primary pupils get access to free hot meals for a year starting in September. All children in England can get free school meals until the end of year 2.

At least 55 MPs from various parties have signed the letter to Hunt, which was coordinated by the Labour backbencher Zarah Sultana, calling for every child to have access to a hot healthy meal each day.

The letter has also been signed by the London mayor, Sadiq Khan; the Labour chair of the DWP select committee, Stephen Timms; the backbench Labour MP Hilary Benn; the Liberal Democrat MP Tim Farron; the independent MP Jeremy Corbyn; the Greens’ Caroline Lucas; and the North of Tyne mayor, Jamie Driscoll.

It says: “The spiralling [cost of living] crisis is seen in our schools, with heartbreaking accounts of seven-year-olds stashing food from breakfast clubs for later in the day and children pretending to eat from empty lunchboxes.”

Last month, Khan announced plans to offer all London primary schoolchildren free meals for one year, to tackle what he said was a failure by ministers to step up support during the cost of living crisis.

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He said he knew “from personal experience that free school meals are a lifeline”, as his parents relied on them to give his family “a little extra breathing