Eat Your Words And End This Fiasco Over Free School Meals

‘Businesses, charities and councils are giving meals to hungry children’

- Stephen Pollard

Ever since the Government set up the furlough scheme, it has sought to cushion employers from the blow delivered by Covid-19. It has proudly boasted of its actions, arguing that without state help, even employers who have always done right by their workforce and run viable businesses would be driven into collapse by an event for which they could not have been expected to prepare.

Since the pandemic began, therefore, the Government has handed over billions to companies and workers to stop them going to the wall. Not a single Conservative has voted against this. It was simply the right thing to do.

What a contrast with the response to the footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign to have free school meals extended over half-term and Christmas. There are few more visceral issues than child hunger. Passions are roused and anger comes to the fore when we think of hungry children.