‘Government 'shamed into backing down'

AnMPandfreeschoolmeals campaigner has welcomed the Government’s U-turn on funding food for more than one million pupils over the summer holidays.

Sharon Hodgson, the LabourMPforWashingtonand SunderlandWest,wasspeaking after Downing Street reversed its initial decision following pressure from Manchester United football striker Marcus Rashford.

About1.3mchildren nationwide now are expected to benefit from £120m of fundingacrossthesix-weekbreak.

As well as praising Rashford, Mrs Hodgson also said the Government had been “shamed into backing down instead of doing the right thing in the first place.”

She believes 3,616 children in her constituency will benefit from the funding extension with “many families rightlyconcernedabouthow they will afford food during he summer holidays”.

Mrs Hodgson, who has campaigned on free school mealssincebecominganMP in 2005, said: “Like Marcus Rashford, I grew up on free school meals, so I know how important they are to families on low incomes. “That is why I set up the All-Party Parliamentary Group on School Food in 2010 to campaign for better free school meal provision. “I welcome the Government’s u-turn on this, but they should never have delayed on this. They were shamed into backing down instead of doing the right thing in the first place.

“Children are at a heightenedriskofgoinghungrythis summer as the covid-19 crisis hits family incomes, and charities and food banks struggle to provide the same level of holiday support.”