Those who are in power shown to be out of touch

It comes to something when it takes the intervention of a 23-year-old footballer to shame the government into taking action over inadequate free school meals parcels. You may recall it was Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford who successfully campaigned for eligible families to be given the option of food parcels or vouchers while schools are shut.

Now he has voiced his concern again after an angry mother took to social media and posted images of what she had been sent to feed her child.

He said simply: ‘We MUST do better. Children shouldn't be going hungry.’

And he’s right of course. Parents in the Portsmouth area have been underlining the extent of the issue by posting pictures of their own food parcels on The News Facebook page.

One mum called it ‘an absolute joke’. Another said the quantity and quality was ‘terrible’.

The contractor has been paid £30 per parcel by the government, but the contents could be bought for far less.

So is this a case of shameless profiteering, or are there significant overheads to be taken into account?

Whatever the truth, Chartwells has apologised and admitted the parcel that sparked the controversy was not good enough.

They knew it looked bad. So did education secretary Gavin Williamson, who said he was ‘absolutely disgusted’ when he saw the picture, and prime minister Boris Johnson, who promised to correct the ‘unacceptable’ parcels.

But without the power of social media and Mr Rashford’s influence forcing the government into action, many families would be continuing to receive sub-standard food parcels.

It’s hard to escape the conclusion that those in power have once again shown themselves to be out of touch with the harsh realities faced every day by many in this country.