Starmer describes free school meal expansion as ‘down payment' on child poverty
The expansion of free school meals is a 'down payment' on child poverty, the Prime Minister has said.
Charities and campaigners have urged the Government to axe the two-child benefit cap to ease child poverty as ministers set out plans to expand free school meals to all pupils in England in families on universal credit.
Asked whether he would go further and abolish the welfare limit, Sir Keir Starmer said: 'I would say this is a down payment on child poverty.'
The Prime Minister added that he was 'determined' to drive down child poverty and identify its root causes.
Currently, households in England on universal credit must earn below £7,400 a year (after tax and not including benefits) to qualify for free school meals.
More than one in four pupils in England are now eligible for free school meals, the latest figures show.
An additional 77,700 children became eligible for free school meals over a year, according to data published by the Department for Education (DfE).
Eligibility for free school meals stood at 25.7% of all pupils in January this year, the equivalent of 2.17 million children – up from 24.6%, or 2.09 million, in January 2024, the data shows.
The Government has said the expansion of free school meals to all pupils in families on universal credit from September 2026 will make 500,000 more children eligible for free lunches during the school day.
Ministers have also suggested that the change will lift 100,000 children across England out of poverty.
Alongside the extension of free school meals, the DfE said it is working with experts across the sector to review the School Food Standards to ensure every school is supported with the latest nutrition guidance.
Sir Keir said Thursday's announcement was part of a broader package of provisions including breakfast clubs and 'so it needs to be seen within that group of measures'.
He added: 'But yes, it's a down payment on what I want to do in relation to child poverty.'
The Government's child poverty taskforce is due to publish its strategy later this year.
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson told Times Radio that the meals extension would be funded and the Government will 'make sure that schools have what they need to deliver this'.
Asked why the expansion was not coming into force now, Ms Phillipson told BBC Breakfast: 'We're working as quickly as we can because we do appreciate the urgency, but we also need to work with schools to make this change happen.'
Parents have to apply for their children to receive free school meals and eligible children are not automatically enrolled.
The announcement has been largely welcomed by education leaders and campaigners, but some organisations have called for the Government to go further and introduce auto-enrolment.
Arooj Shah, chairwoman of the Local Government Association's (LGA) children and young people board, said: 'Councils still face data sharing and resource challenges in ensuring as many eligible children as possible receive what they are entitled to.
'Introducing automatic enrolment, using existing government data to capture all those who are entitled to free school meals, would also streamline the process and ensure as many children as possible can benefit, at a time when many families are still under financial pressure.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Belfast Telegraph
29 minutes ago
- Belfast Telegraph
NHS set for boost of up to £30bn as other budgets feel squeeze
The Department of Health is set to be handed a 2.8% annual increase in its day-to-day budget over a three-year period. The cash injection, which amounts to a rise of about £30 billion by 2028, or £17 billion in real terms, will see other areas including police and councils squeezed, The Times newspaper reported. Sir Keir Starmer has pledged to ensure that by the next election 92% of patients in England waiting for planned treatment are seen within 18 weeks of being referred. Latest NHS data suggests around 60% of people are currently seen in this time and figures released last month showed the overall number of patients on waiting lists had risen slightly from 6.24 million to 6.25 million. Chancellor Rachel Reeves has acknowledged that she had been forced to turn down requests for funding in a sign of the behind-the-scenes wrangling over her spending review. She insisted the blame for the tight economic situation lay with the Conservatives rather than her rigid rules on borrowing and spending. The Chancellor said despite a £190 billion increase in funding over the spending review period 'not every department will get everything that they want next week and I have had to say no to things that I want to do too'. On top of the increase in day-to-day spending, funded in part by the tax hikes Ms Reeves set out in her budget, looser borrowing rules will help support a £113 billion investment package. Economists have warned the Chancellor faces 'unavoidably' tough choices when she sets out departmental spending plans on June 11. The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) think tank said defence and the NHS will dominate the review, raising the prospect of cuts to other unprotected departments.
Telegraph
32 minutes ago
- Telegraph
Lord Hermer defended suspected Iraqi bomber
Sir Keir Starmer's law chief represented a suspected Iraqi bomb maker who won more than £33,000 in compensation from the Government. Court documents show that Lord Hermer, the Attorney General, represented Abd Ali Hameed Ali Al-Waheed, who was arrested by British troops after a partly assembled IED (Improvised Explosive Device) and explosives were found at his sister's home in Basra. In the case, Al-Waheed won a total of £33,500 for unlawful detention by the British forces, beating by soldiers and 'inhuman and degrading' treatment after an internal review cleared him of any involvement in the insurgency against the British. It is the latest case highlighted by shadow justice secretary Robert Jenrick, who last week published a video claiming Lord Hermer was unfit to be Attorney General because he had spent his life 'defending Britain's enemies.' The Attorney General has previously defended his record by pointing to the 'cab rank' principle, which requires barristers to accept cases within their area of expertise regardless of the client. Allies also maintain that his extensive previous private practice as a barrister does not impinge upon his current role providing independent legal advice to the Government. However, Mr Jenrick said: 'Even Hermer's colleagues acknowledge he is an activist lawyer that made his career acting against the British Government. He is uniquely ill-suited to being Attorney General. 'But Sir Keir Starmer won't sack him because he's cut from the same cloth as Hermer: his loyalty is to the human rights brigade, not the British people.' List of clients The shadow justice secretary has previously criticised Lord Hermer for acting for Gerry Adams, Shamima Begum and Al-Qaeda chief Rangzieb Ahmed, Osama bin Laden's right-hand man. A professional friend of Lord Hermer last week noted how the 'cab rank' principle did not prevent barristers from picking and choosing cases. Al-Waheed was arrested after soldiers raided his sister's house looking for his brother-in-law, Ali Jaleel, who was suspected of involvement in terrorist activities. Ali Jaleel was out, but a partly assembled IED and a large quantity of explosives were found in the house. Al-Waheed claimed he was 'systematically beaten and tortured' by soldiers on his arrest and subjected to multiple forms of inhuman and degrading treatment during his detention, including sleep deprivation and denied sight and hearing by being hooded. Despite an internal review clearing him of involvement, he claims he was held for 33 days unlawfully in breach of Article 5 of the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR). A spokesman for the Attorney General said: 'Over a 30-year career the Attorney General has represented very many people including victims of the Grenfell Tower fire, military veterans killed and injured in service, victims of rape and serious sexual abuse, victims of human trafficking and modern slavery, the Ukrainian Legal Taskforce as well as thousands of victims of environmental disasters. How barristers work 'It is a feature and cornerstone of our legal system that legal professionals operate the cab rank rule when it comes to clients, and barristers do not associate themselves with their clients' opinions. The Code of Conduct for Barristers prohibits them from refusing instructions on the basis of their views of the character, reputation, cause, conduct, guilt or innocence of the client. Some Conservatives have criticised the attacks on Lord Hermer as unfair. Dr Ben Spencer, a shadow minister, said: 'It's absolutely right to question Lord Hermer's judgement based on his decisions in role. But, even the worst of us must have legal representation.' Former attorney general Dominic Grieve said Mr Jenrick's video was a 'disgraceful' attack on the UK's 'principles of justice and freedoms', which relied on a 'level playing field' for individuals' legal representation under the cab rank rule. Lord Hermer has, however, faced a barrage of criticism in recent days after comparing calls by Tory and Reform politicians to leave the ECHR to the rise of Nazism.
Reuters
an hour ago
- Reuters
Ukrainian attack damaged 10% of Russia's strategic bombers, Germany says
BERLIN, June 7 (Reuters) - A Ukrainian drone attack last weekend likely damaged around 10% of Russia's strategic bomber fleet and hit some of the aircraft as they were being prepared for strikes on Ukraine, a senior German military official said. "According to our assessment, more than a dozen aircraft were damaged, TU-95 and TU-22 strategic bombers as well as A-50 surveillance planes," German Major General Christian Freuding said in a YouTube podcast reviewed by Reuters ahead of its publication later on Saturday. The affected A-50s, which function similarly to NATO's AWACS planes by providing aerial situational awareness, were likely non-operational when they were hit, said the general who coordinates Berlin's military aid to Kyiv and is in close touch with the Ukrainian defence ministry. "We believe that they can no longer be used for spare parts. This is a loss, as only a handful of these aircraft exist," he said. "As for the long-range bomber fleet, 10% of it has been damaged in the attack according to our assessment." The United States estimates that Ukraine's audacious drone attack hit as many as 20 Russian warplanes, destroying around 10 of them, two U.S. officials told Reuters, and experts say Moscow will take years to replace the affected planes. Despite the losses, Freuding does not see any immediate reduction of Russian strikes against Ukraine, noting that Moscow still retains 90% of its strategic bombers which can launch ballistic and cruise missiles in addition to dropping bombs. "But there is, of course, an indirect effect as the remaining planes will need to fly more sorties, meaning they will be worn out faster, and, most importantly, there is a huge psychological impact." Freuding said Russia had felt safe in its vast territory, which also explained why there was little protection for the aircraft. "After this successful operation, this no longer holds true. Russia will need to ramp up the security measures." According to Freuding, Ukraine attacked two air fields around 100 kilometres (62 miles) from Moscow, as well as the Olenya air field in the Murmansk region and the Belaya air field, with drones trained with the help of artificial intelligence. A fifth attack on the Ukrainka air field near the Chinese border failed, he said. The bombers that were hit were part of Russia's so-called nuclear triad which enables nuclear weapons deployment by air, sea and ground, he added.
