MP explains why she didn’t vote on free school meals

One of Sunderland’s MPs has taken to Twitter to explain why she did not vote in the House of Commons for an extension to free school meals.

Bridget Phillipson, MP for Houghton and Sunderland South, was absent from the vote on Wednesday, ; a Labour motion, calling for the free school meals scheme to be extended over school holidays until Easter next year.

It was defeated by 261 votes to 322 in the Commons, with five Conservative MPs rebelling to support the motion.

Chief Executive of Child Poverty Action Group Alison Garnham said in the aftermath of the vote that Britain had “reached a low point if in the midst of a pandemic we decide we can’t make sure children in the lowest income familieshaveanutritiousmeal in the middle of the day”.

Ms Phillipson said on Twitter on Wednesday night: “I had to be away from the Commons today because of family responsibilities.

“I was ‘paired’ with a Tory MP who also had to be away and would have voted the other way.

"Unfortunately, the Government has a significant majority.”

According to the UK Parliament website, pairing is an arrangement between two MPs of opposing parties to not vote in a particular division.

This enables an MP to be absent without affecting the result of the vote as they cancel each other out.

Theinformalarrangement is not recognised by the House of Commons, but must be registered with the party Whips.

England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford vowed to keep campaigning to extend free school meals over the holidays after MPs voted against the measure on Wednesday.

Rashford was awarded an MBE earlier this month in the Queen’s Birthday Honours for his work in successfully extending free school meals over the summer.

He said in a statement shared on Twitter: “A significant number of children are going to bed tonight not only hungry but feeling like they do not matter because of comments that have been made today.

“We must stop stigmatising, judging and pointing fingers.

"Our views are being clouded by political affiliation.

“This is not politics, this is humanity.”