‘ Footballer Marcus Rashford has galvanised thousands, no millions, of people into action.’

I DON’T follow football. Quite frankly it bores me. But I was delighted that Marcus Rashford scored a hat trick for Manchester United this week while the Government continues to score an own goal by refusing to look again at what should shame us all.

The fact is children are going hungry in one of the wealthiest countries in the world – and they were before Covid.

And before anyone starts posting comments about widescreen televisions or mobile phones or even that it’s the parent’s role to provide for their children, I would simply say whatever the circumstances it is not the fault of the child who does have enough to eat. And there are too many, for whatever reason, who do not.

It is estimated there are now around two million youngsters in Britain who would qualify for the £ 15- a- week food voucher. That’s a weekly bill of £ 30m. Small fry, considering all the money this dreadful pandemic has cost us so far.

It is also proved that hungry children do not have the emotional and mental stimulus needed to achieve all they could in life. It is, as they say, a no- brainer. But while the Government continues to stutter and splutter about the reasons why they abandoned their free- meal programme for the school holidays, we must look at what this young man has achieved and celebrate the wave of support that has swept the country.

Not once has Marcus Rashford screamed and shouted on social media. He has merely said “Thank you”. Not once has he made the feeding of children a political game. He has simply expressed his sadness that the

Government, which heaped praise upon him and even awarded him a gong for his efforts, decided not to act upon his recommendations. And then he rolled up his sleeves and got on with it. And took a nation along with him.

Marcus Rashford is a role model for our times. A young man who has achieved fame and fortune by kicking a ball about. But what he has not done is forget where he came from and that his was a childhood where putting food on the table was a struggle.

This week his mum joined him at his local food bank to do what he has been doing long before he found himself at the forefront of his campaign to end child poverty. And that is to offer his help, and in doing so also hope, to every child who does not have enough to eat.

His social- media pages have been flooded with stories of children who have been fed, of communities who have answered his call, and of parents reduced to tears to discover people do care. How proud must his mum be of all that her son has achieved these past few days, both on and off the pitch.

Marcus Rashford, who celebrates his 23rd birthday today, has galvanised thousands, no millions, of people into action. As a result, up and down the country fewer children are going hungry.

Food banks are full, charities and community groups are being supported and cafes and restaurants have removed the stigma of being down on your luck without judgement. They have made meal after meal, sandwich after sandwich, and given it freely, with love.

More importantly, they have sent out the message to each and every child that they are worth fighting for and showed their parents that there is no shame in asking for help. And that is as important as every morsel of food.

Kim Kardashian has one thing in common with the Government. She, like the Ministers who praised Marcus Rashford and his achievements and then failed to change their policy, is tone deaf ( as they say in modern parlance) to the struggles people are facing and have been facing for more than six long months now.

She celebrated her 40th birthday by hiring a private island and spending heaven knows what on flying her friends out for a party. She is humbled, she says. She knows how lucky she is, she says. So don’t do it. Put your money where your mouth is or, like Marcus, into the mouths of the people who need it.

Sometimes you just have to vote with your conscience, which is why I also want to thank Colne Valley MP Jason McCartney for having the guts to go against his own Government and vote in favour of extending the scheme. Because it does take guts.

In the days that followed that shameful vote, Tory MPs who had either abstained or followed the party whip, perhaps sensing the mood of the nation, softened their stance. Too late. Now all we can do is wait for the

Government to change its mind, as they must do.

And while we are talking of changing their mindset, I would say this to the BBC, who are choosing the Sports Personality of the Year candidates for the shortlist. Whether Marcus quite fits the criteria or not is irrelevant. We are in unprecedented times and without his inclusion this year’s awards would be meaningless.

The current criteria for entry is said to be “based on the impact a person has made on the national or international sporting stage”. But it also takes into account the impact “of the person’s sporting achievement beyond the sport in question”.

In a world where highly paid football stars are often condemned as being out of touch with reality, what other sports personality has made a greater impact on the lives of the nation? None.

Whether they change their mind or not, Marcus Rashford has proved he already has the people’s vote. And hundreds of children the length and breadth of the nation are feeling that bit fuller, that bit warmer and that much more cared for because of it.

They have sent out the message to each and every child that they are worth fighting for.