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The devastated Manchester United star told ministers who voted against the Labor motion on Wednesday night that a “significant number” of children will go to bed tonight “thinking they don’t matter.”
In a passionate debate in the Commons this afternoon, Labor tabled its motion, which would extend the free school meal plan during the semester and Christmas holidays through Easter 2021. It aimed to feed 1.4 million disadvantaged children in England with £ 15 -weekly food vouchers
But the motion was rejected by 261 votes to 322, a majority of 61. Only five Conservative MPs, out of 323 in the party that voted tonight, rebelled to support the extension.
Following the result, Rashford, who became an MBE this month, wrote in a statement on Twitter: ‘Let’s put all the noise, digging, party politics aside and focus on reality.
“A significant number of children go to sleep tonight, not only hungry, but they feel they don’t matter because of the comments that have been made today.
‘We must stop stigmatizing, judging and pointing fingers. Our opinions are clouded by political affiliation. This is not politics, this is humanity ”.
The 22-year-old England striker urged politicians to ‘come together’ and that is the ‘time to work together’ because child food poverty ‘has the potential to become the biggest pandemic the country has ever faced.’
He remained defiant in his campaign efforts to help underprivileged children, adding: “As long as they don’t have a voice, they will have mine.”
Rashford, who has spoken of her own experiences growing up in poverty in Wythenshawe, Greater Manchester, said: ‘I don’t have the education of a politician.
Many on Twitter have made it clear today, but I have a social upbringing after having lived through this and having spent time with the families and children most affected. These kids matter. ‘
The footballer previously clashed with several Conservative MPs, including former Brexit minister Steve Baker, who claimed that extending free meals would “ destroy ” the economy.
Rashford urged MPs not to “turn a blind eye,” to which Mansfield MP Ben Bradley responded by saying that “extending gifts is sticky plaster, not a solution.”
Also Conservative Minister Brendan Clarke-Smith accused the footballer of ‘nationalizing children’, adding: ‘Instead, we must go back to the idea of taking responsibility, and that means fewer signs of celebrity virtue on Twitter for proxy and more action to address the true causes of child poverty. ‘
The footballer previously managed to force the government to make a U-turn to provide free meals during the summer holidays, when schools were forced to close during the shutdown, and he hoped to do the same again.
After a petition launched by the footballer amassed 300,000 votes to force a debate in parliament, Labor declared they would speed things up by triggering a vote tonight.
Downing Street had ruled out making a late U-turn before the vote, and Boris Johnson told MPs that disadvantaged families can use the benefit system “and all income systems to support children over the holidays as well.” .
Shadow Education Secretary Kate Green said after the vote: “Boris Johnson and the Conservatives have seriously defrauded more than a million children and their families.
“No child should go hungry during the holidays, but the Government is blocking the actions necessary to prevent it.
‘We pay tribute to Marcus Rashford and others for highlighting this incredibly important topic. This campaign has not ended and the government must reconsider it ”.
Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham, who this week has been embroiled in his own dispute over third tier funding with the Government, tweeted in support of Rashford.
He wrote: ‘Fantastic words, Marcus. You shouldn’t have had to listen to some of those ignorant speeches in Westminster today. But again, they show why your campaign is so necessary.
‘Keep on, we’re all behind you #NoChildGoesHungry.’
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