This UK Government is levelling down, not up

IN 2019 Boris Johnson promised the country he would create a global Britain, the envy of the world. He would deliver a Brexit deal that would create opportunity, wealth, and jobs (anyone seen that yet?).

He promised poor families and pensioners under his leadership his Government would always do the right thing and support them.

When they had the chance to help them, Conservative MPs were told to vote against the Universal Credit uplift, and the triple lock pension manifesto promise.

And instead of levelling up, the pensions of former Allied Steel and Wire workers are still going down year on year.

Plus higher taxes, energy bills, food prices, council tax rises, 250,000 food banks.

More like levelling down than up. What the country has seen under Boris Johnson’s leadership is that the rules do not apply to them. Selfinterest for them and their mates is more important than families and pensioners.

With ministers and MPs looking after themselves, and their snouts in the trough with second jobs, we have a Government rotten to the core, and it hasn’t stopped yet. John Benson

Dinas Powys thousands of children below the UK poverty line? Child Poverty Action Group found Wales lags behind the rest of the UK with the least generous free school meal provision to children in poverty. In Wales, 42% (55,000) of children in poverty miss out on free school meals compared with 37% in England, 17% in Scotland and in Northern Ireland, 22%. The time for talk from Welsh Government is over.

We need action.

In Finland, Sweden, Estonia and US cities like New York, Chicago and Boston and states such as California, all school students get free school meals.

Not just school students from poor families. People’s Assembly is campaigning for this in Wales.

Finland is the pioneer of universal free school meals. For more than 70 years since 1948, the Finnish welfare state has given all school students up to age 16 a free hot nutritious school lunch.

The universal approach has proven benefits in terms of improved health, well-being, classroom concentration, school atmosphere and lower childhood obesity rates.

The scandal at Ysgol Dyffryn Nantlle underscores the urgency of the Welsh Government rolling out free school meals to all families on Universal Credit, as the first step towards universal free school meals. No school student should be turned away from a hot nutritious meal because of lack of funds.

He promised he would create opportunity, wealth and jobs (anyone seen that yet?)

John Benson Dinas Powys