£200m holiday club cash as PM refuses U-turn on school meals

BOrIS Johnson is preparing to pour hundreds of millions of pounds into holiday clubs in an attempt to defuse the row over free school meals.

The Prime Minister yesterday insisted that the Government will ‘do everything in our power to make sure that no kid, no child goes hungry’.

But he resisted calls to perform a Uturn over his refusal to extend free

‘We misjudged the mood’

school meals for children in England over the christmas holiday.

as pressure continued to pile on the Government to act, a petition from footballer Marcus rashford yesterday exceeded more than 900,000 signatures.

On a visit to a hospital in reading, Mr Johnson said it was right that Universal credit had been increased by £20 a week while £63million has been provided to local authorities to help those who are struggling to afford food and essentials.

Downing Street signalled chancellor rishi Sunak could announce extra support next month in the spending review.

The Mail understands one proposal under consideration is the nationwide rollout of a scheme to put on holiday clubs for disadvantaged children.

Under a pilot that ran in 17 areas this summer, 50,000 pupils who usually receive free school meals took part in the programme, which offers outdoor activities and a hot meal.

In a Government- commissioned report earlier this year, Henry Dimbleby, t he co - founder of the Leon restaurant chain, recommended that the scheme should be made available across England, with eligibility extended to all families in receipt of Universal credit. It is estimated that this would allow an extra 1.1million children to take part at a cost of £200million.

Mr Sunak is also understood to be ‘ open’ to the idea of extending the £ 20 a week increase in Universal credit, which is due to finish in april.

Tory former minister George Freeman yesterday asked the Government to ‘accept we misjudged the mood’ and ‘got it wrong’ last week by opposing a Labour motion to provide free s chool meals during October half-term.

In a statement on Twitter, he wrote: ‘With hindsight I think that was a mistake... last week’s tribal Parliamentary politics let down a nation looking for a spirit of joint working for the common good.’

The Prime Minister yesterday defended his handling of the free meals row.

Speaking at reading’s royal Berkshire Hospital, he said: ‘We don’t want to see children going hungry this winter, this christmas, certainly not as a result of any inattention by this Government.’ t he