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Thousands of Britain’s leading child health specialists have come together to condemn the government for its refusal to fund free meals for underprivileged children in England during school holidays, amid a popular campaign on the subject led by the England footballer. and Manchester United Marcus Rashford.
With a growing number of city councils and businesses offering free meals this weekend, more than 2,000 pediatricians across the UK have signed a letter expressing their shock at the decision. They claim that ensuring children have enough to eat is one of the “most basic human responsibilities.”
The letter, coordinated by the Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health and viewed by the Observer, says: “Every day, we see the impact of hunger and malnutrition in our work as pediatricians. It is not unusual for us to care for children who do not have enough to eat or who do not have access to a substantial meal outside of what is offered at school.
“We call on the UK government to match the promises of the Governments of Wales and Scotland and the Executive of Northern Ireland, to continue to provide free meals to low-income children for the next several weeks and then extend this at least until Easter school holidays. “
The letter praises Rashford as a “source of inspiration” for his campaign, which continued to draw a surge of support last night. Hundreds more companies have signed up to help provide meals this weekend and dozens of councils, including prominent authorities led by Conservatives, have agreed to fund local programs. An online petition created by Rashford now has more than 700,000 signatures, while Labor plans to embarrass the government by taking another Commons vote on the issue.
Russell Viner, President of the Royal College, told the Observer that “I have rarely seen so much anger among our members.” He added: “We worry about children who don’t have enough to eat. We see too many of them. It is heartbreaking that it has become a normal part of our jobs and that hunger is too common for millions of families in the UK. There is an opportunity to correct this. There is no point in talking about leveling the country, an ambition we support, while refusing to offer temporary relief to children and families. “
The intervention comes amid the frustration of many conservative MPs, who want the decision reversed before the Christmas holidays. A senior figure said ministers were making a “massive mistake” by refusing to endorse Rashford’s campaign. Rashford’s successful campaign to provide food stamps during the summer holidays is estimated to cost £ 126 million.
However, other Conservative MPs caused anger by criticizing the free meals campaign. Ben Bradley, the Mansfield MP, was accused of linking free meals to “crack clubs” and “brothels” in social media comments. He said his comments had been taken out of context. North Devon MP Selaine Saxby has apologized after appearing to criticize businesses that give away food. Philip Davies, the Shipley MP, also faced backlash over a withering response to a 16-year-old voter who had questioned his opposition to the extension of free school meals. The ministers also face criticism after it emerged that schools in some of the country’s most disadvantaged areas were told they will now not receive the laptops to help students learn remotely.
Laptop allowances for disadvantaged students have been drastically reduced by 80%. A spokesman for the Department of Education said the laptop allocations were “more effectively” targeting children, schools and areas of the country that are “most in need.” The governments of Scotland and Wales have already extended free meals during the school holidays until next Easter. In Northern Ireland, children will receive meals during the mid-term break this month. Official figures from earlier this year suggested 1.4 million disadvantaged children were eligible for free school meals in England, but this is believed to have risen during the pandemic.
Concern among child health experts increases pressure on ministers. Dr Max Davie, Health Improvement Officer at the Royal College of Pediatrics and Child Health, said: “We are a rich country. We shouldn’t have to fight for food stamps when we’re in the middle of a pandemic. “
Dr Liz Whittaker, consultant pediatrician at St Mary’s Hospital in London said: “Missing meals is not just about starving on an individual day, it has a lasting impact on a young person’s life. Any argument that this saves the state money is impossible. “
Meanwhile, Covid cases continue to rise. Another 23,012 positive tests were announced yesterday, along with 174 more deaths. Another 1,139 were admitted to the hospital.
Robert Halfon, Conservative Chairman of the Select Committee on Education, called on the government to reconsider and review the provision of food for poor children. “The government has to fix this,” he said. “They need to sit down with people like Marcus Rashford and his task force, which has involved some of the biggest food companies. They should put in place a long-term plan to combat children’s food hunger, not only looking at the implementation of free school meal coupons at Christmas temporarily during the coronavirus pandemic, but also the implementation of breakfast clubs, the introduction of a holiday activities program and exam [the level of support in] universal credit “.
Last night, former Children’s Minister Tim Loughton became the latest Conservative to ask the government to change course. “Now I will pressure the ministers to reverse this decision for the Christmas holidays,” he said.
However, ministers insisted yesterday that there is a “better way” to tackle the problem of child hunger. Baroness Barran, Minister of Civil Society, told BBC Radio 4 Today program: “The government has made more than £ 200 billion available to protect people’s income and livelihoods. We have worked closely with charities that operate food banks across the country. There are different approaches to how we do this, but we’ve used every possible lever to try to make sure people are safe and well as we go.
“We have provided more money through universal credit, we have provided more money to local authorities and we believe it is a better way to tackle this problem.”
