Latest news with #freeschoolmeals
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Eradicating child poverty must become Labour's central mission
It is much more than a flip rhetorical cliche to say that if a nation thinks that fighting child poverty is costly, then it should try the alternative. It really should not be a matter of great controversy. The broadly warm welcome given to the government's expansion of the free school meals programme has been marred only by some noisy mumblings about how the policy will be funded. Of course, any item of public spending must be accounted for – but in the case of this and similar measures to alleviate child poverty, both sides of the ledger should be taken into account. Experience in Scotland, Wales and London – where free and nutritious meals are already available more widely – suggests that pupils perform better on a full stomach; something that surely accords with common sense. Academic studies go further, linking higher educational achievements with higher productivity and thus better living standards for those lifted out of poverty – with an obvious dividend for the nation as a whole. Official support for children, including the new breakfast clubs, a wider availability of free school meals, childcare, access to libraries, affordable housing and of course their education itself, should be treated less as 'current' spending and more like an investment. These are the kind of arguments The Independent has long put forward, as part of an award-winning campaign, and are compatible with fiscal sustainability. In essence, though it is not meant to be mercenary, money spent on rearing a healthier, more literate, more numerate and more intellectually able generation is, in the long run, as valid an investment as, say, building a new tramway or bolstering the national grid. 'Human capital' is, ironically, more precious than ever in a world where artificial intelligence will take over so many of the tasks currently undertaken by human beings. For people to enjoy socially useful and economically viable lives in the future, they will need to be smarter than the machines that will surround them. Soon enough, chancellor Rachel Reeves will be able to go further and faster, as the current ministerial catchphrase goes, in the Labour government's newfound mission to reduce child poverty. After years when the party seemed to be undeclared disciples of the austerity school of economics, Labour's conscience, albeit prompted by some shocking electoral setbacks, has been awoken. Eradicating child poverty by 2020 was the noble objective set by Tony Blair early in the last Labour government, enshrined in law during the last days of Gordon Brown's administration, revived in Jeremy Corbyn's time, but frankly neglected, beyond some necessary lip service, in more recent years. Now, it has rightly become a priority, and one that has lodged itself high on the long list of social challenges facing the chancellor. It now seems inevitable that the two-cap limit on child benefit, imposed by a Tory chancellor almost a decade ago, will be lifted, sooner or later, and perhaps 300,000 children in larger families lifted out of poverty immediately. That it will be partly under populist pressure from Nigel Farage does not make it a bad idea. Extending child benefit, like school meals, is not a total cure for child poverty. Where the Tories had a point as they downgraded the poverty targets in the past (which, to be clear, was a mistake) was when they stressed the importance of a healthy economy creating well-paid jobs. Child poverty is linked to general levels of poverty, obviously, and the creation of wealth still counts as the essential basis for a fairer society – and human capital is part of that. Even with these latest measures, continuing care will need to be taken to make sure the free school meals are nutritious and promote good physical and mental health. Other policy areas also need to be attended to. No level of child benefit or childcare will entirely compensate for being brought up in a cramped, overcrowded, mouldy, cold home. Other policies will thus have to contribute to giving every British child the best opportunities in life. In that context, the government's child poverty task force might consider how the SureStart centres could be restored. Arguably the most serious misjudgement of the coalition government of 2010 to 2014 was to scrap them. In any case, without much in the way of conscious effort, indeed almost by accident, Sir Keir Starmer's government has found itself endowed with a new, invigorating mission to pursue. For all the problems, disappointments, gaffes and missteps in their first year out of the wilderness, the Labour Party has rediscovered its raison d'etre.
The Independent
3 days ago
- Business
- The Independent
Reeves hits back at spending review critics claiming ‘my choices are Labour choices'
Rachel Reeves has hit back against her critics in Labour in a passionate defence of her economic policy as she fends off a cabinet backlash over her spending review. Labour heavyweights, including Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner and Home Secretary Yvette Cooper have been holding out on agreeing spending settlements with the Treasury, accusing the chancellor of trying to impose 'austerity 2.0' and cuts to public services. Among the issues being fought over are funding for local government finances, social housing budgets, border control, and policing. But in an exclusive article for The Independent about the announcement on extending free school meals to 500,000 more of the poorest pupils, Ms Reeves underlined her record of trying to rebalance the economy in favour of the less well off. The chancellor has leaned on her own childhood experience growing up in Lewisham during the Margaret Thatcher years, where she recalls school lessons in prefab huts, which she said sparked a 'sense of injustice'. Ms Reeves has previously spoken of the "tough choices" she has been forced to make because of the inheritance she had from the Tories. But she emphasised in her piece how she has found money for free school meals and - at a time when she is under fire for making £5bn in disability benefit cuts - and had also found the cash for above-inflation increases to universal credit from 2026. She said: 'These are our choices. They are Labour's choices. And they are the right choices. It is about breaking down barriers to opportunity, driving better behaviour, attainment and wellbeing in our schools. It's about putting more money – nearly £500 a year – back into the pockets of working parents every year. And it is about helping those who need it the most, so every child has the best start in life.' The chancellor has often been accused of being cold and out of touch by her critics, with complaints over some of the choices she has made since coming to office. She is currently looking for the estimated £5bn needed to reverse her cuts to winter fuel payments for millions of pensioners and end the two-child benefit cap. The toughest fight she is facing is with Ms Rayner's Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) where the deputy prime minister is fiercely resisting the tightening of funds for councils and cuts to the housing budget. But Ms Reeves has looked to her own background as the daughter of primary school teachers in south east London to explain her own philosophy as she approaches her announcement next week. She said: 'Like most people, my politics were shaped by my upbringing. I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s under Margaret Thatcher and John Major's governments. I saw firsthand the impact of underinvestment in our country's state schools. 'My sixth form was housed in a couple of prefab huts in the playground. The library, meant to be a sanctuary of learning, was turned into a classroom simply because there were more students than space. 'I felt then, as I do now, that successive Conservative governments did not care about schools like mine, communities like mine, or the kids I grew up with. She went on: 'That sense of injustice is why I joined the Labour Party. I wanted to do something about it. I want to tackle some of the burning injustices within our society. I wanted to give every child, whatever their backgrounds, the same opportunities to thrive. 'It is the same motivation that drives me today as chancellor of the Exchequer.' She highlighted how she had brought in leftwing policies to close the gap between the wealthy and ordinary people in the UK. 'I ended the tax loophole which exempts private schools from VAT and business rates so we could put more money into our state schools,' she said. 'I put the money aside to begin rolling out free breakfast clubs in every primary school to put more pounds in parents' pockets and to give children the best start in life. And it is why we have announced today that from next year we are giving every child with a parent in receipt of Universal Credit free school meals.' She added: 'Britain's renewal is about people. It is about the next generation. By investing in our children, we are investing in the future of our country, making sure that every young person can fulfil their potential, and that Britain can thrive. This is the promise of change. This is the promise we are delivering.' The intervention comes as Ms Reeves and her team in the Treasury brace themselves for criticism over expected cuts in her spending review, which sets out government finances for the coming years, next week. Already, senior Labour figures have privately attacked her for sticking to her election manifesto pledges not to raise income tax, VAT or employee contributions to national insurance. One senior source said this would mean 'there will be a lot of cuts' and the party will be forced 'to ditch many of its manifesto spending pledges.' Several Labour MPs backed by trade unions are now openly pushing for so-called wealth taxes, with a leaked memo revealing that Ms Rayner had led the charge. The deputy prime minister called for eight wealth taxes in what is seen as 'a progressive alternative' to Ms Reeves' 'austerity'. This included increasing dividend tax rates for higher earners and targeting property traders who use corporate structures to avoid stamp duty.
The Guardian
3 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Experts back DfE's claim free school meals plan will lift 100,000 English children out of poverty but say only over time
Update: Date: 2025-06-05T08:27:12.000Z Title: Experts back DfE's claim free school meals plan will lift 100,000 English children out of poverty – but stress only over time Content: Good morning. Normally child poverty is not at the centre of the national political debate (although it probably should be). But yesterday, at PMQs, Kemi Badenoch did make it a lead talking point by asking Keir Starmer if he would commit to keeping the two-child benefit cap, the Osborne-era benefit cut that is seen as a key driver of child poverty. She was doing this not because she wanted to promote the Tories as supporters of child poverty (although arguably that is one interpretation of her stance), but because she knows the policy is popular with voters who accept George Osborne's argument that it is unfair for the state to pay very poor people to have more than two children when many other parents restrict the number of children they have depending on what they can afford. (Welfare experts say this is a grossly misleading caricature of why people with three or more children end up needing benefits, and that even if it was true it would be unfair to punish children, but in the court of public opinion, the Osborne argument still seems to be winning.) Badenoch was using as a classic 'wedge issue', and her question was designed to force Starmer to choose between siding with Labour MPs (who want the cap to go) and mainstream voters (who want to to stay, by almost two to one, according to some polling). Badenoch did not get very far because Starmer just dodged the question. (That does not mean she was wrong to identify this as a dilemma for Labour; it just means Starmer avoided it becoming a problem yesterday.) It is still not clear what Starmer will do about the two-child benefit cap. But he told MPs at lunchtime yesterday: 'I believe profoundly in driving down poverty and child poverty.' And, overnight, the government has announced a policy that has been widely welcomed and that will reduce child poverty in England. It is going to extend access to free school meals for poorer children. In a news release the Department for Education says: Over half a million more children will benefit from a free nutritious meal every school day, as the government puts £500 back into parents' pockets every year by expanding eligibility for free school meals. From the start of the 2026 school year, every pupil whose household is on Universal Credit will have a new entitlement to free school meals. This will make life easier and more affordable for parents who struggle the most, delivering on the government's Plan for Change to break down barriers to opportunity and give children the best start in life. The unprecedented expansion will lift 100,000 children across England completely out of poverty. But not immediately. In an analysis, which is generally positive about the announcement, the Institute for Fiscal Studies says that, although eventually 100,000 children in England will lifted out of poverty by this measure, in the short term the figure will be much lower. Christine Farquharson, associate director at IFS, explains: Offering free school meals to all children whose families receive universal credit will, in the long term, mean free lunches for about 1.7 million additional children. But transitional protections introduced in 2018 have substantially increased the number of children receiving free school meals today - so in the short run, today's announcement will both cost considerably less (around £250m a year) and benefit considerably fewer pupils (the government's estimate is 500,000 children). This also means that today's announcement will not see anything like 100,000 children lifted out of poverty next year. It is the big announcement this week, linked to next week's spending review, with positive news for Labour MPs and supporters. (Yesterday's was about a £15bn transport infrastructure programme.) Westminster sceptics think the Treasury is trying to buy some goodwill ahead of an actual announcement that will generate grim headlines about spending cuts. It is also not clear whether today's child poverty story is evidence that the governnment is moving towards the abolition of the two-child benefit cap, which would have a much bigger impact on child poverty reduction, or whether it is just a substitute for it. The free school meals announcement just covers England. England often lags behind the devolved governments in welfare policy, and it is worth pointing out that they have more generous provision on free school meals anyway. In Scotland all children get them for their first five years in primary schools, in Wales all primary school children get them, and in Northern Ireland a means test applies, but it is more generous than the English one. In Labour-run London all primary school pupils also get free school meals. Here is the agenda for the day. 9.30am: Pat McFadden, Cabinet Office minister, takes questions in the Commons. Morning: Keir Starmer is visiting a school in the south-east of England, where he is due to speak to broadcasters. After 10.30am: Lucy Powell, leader of the Commons, takes questions from MPs on next week's Commons business. 11am: Mel Stride, shadow chancellor, gives a speech at the RSA thinktank where he will say the Tories will 'never again' risk the economy with unfunded tax cuts like those in Liz Truss's mini-budget. 11.30am: Downing Street holds a lobby briefing. And in Scotland people are voting in Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse byelection, where the death of an SNP MSP has triggered a byelection. If you want to contact me, please post a message below the line when comments are open (normally between 10am and 3pm at the moment), or message me on social media. I can't read all the messages BTL, but if you put 'Andrew' in a message aimed at me, I am more likely to see it because I search for posts containing that word. If you want to flag something up urgently, it is best to use social media. You can reach me on Bluesky at @ The Guardian has given up posting from its official accounts on X, but individual Guardian journalists are there, I still have my account, and if you message me there at @AndrewSparrow, I will see it and respond if necessary. I find it very helpful when readers point out mistakes, even minor typos. No error is too small to correct. And I find your questions very interesting too. I can't promise to reply to them all, but I will try to reply to as many as I can, either BTL or sometimes in the blog.
Sky News
4 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Charities welcome half a million more children being eligible for free school meals
Charities and school leaders have welcomed free school meals being opened up to more than half a million extra children. The government has announced it will make children in all households on universal credit in England eligible for free school meals from September 2026. Parents will be nearly £500 better off each year because of the change, the Department for Education said. Currently, only pupils from households with an income of less than £7,400 a year are eligible for free school meals, meaning hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty do not have access to them. The latest figures, from January 2024, show 2.1m children were eligible for free school meals - 24.6% of all pupils in England. The government has not said how it will fund another 500,000 children's school meals. It also claimed the eligibility expansion would lift 100,000 children across England completely out of poverty, but did not provide details of how. Charities broadly welcomed the change, with The Children's Society calling it a "practical, compassionate step that will make a real difference". Chief executive Mark Russell said it is a move his charity has been pushing for and would lift thousands of children out of hunger and help ease the pressure on households struggling to make ends meet. The Child Poverty Action Group said it was "fantastic news and a game-changer for children and families". "We hope this is a sign of what's to come in autumn's child poverty strategy, with government taking more action to meet its manifesto commitment to reduce child poverty in the UK," Kate Anstey, head of education policy, said. School leaders' union NAHT welcomed the change but asked for the government to introduce "auto-enrolment so no child entitled to a free meal misses out". NAHT general secretary Paul Whiteman added: "It's vital that this positive extension of free school meals is backed up by other tangible measures which help lift even more children out of poverty when the government's child poverty taskforce reports back later this year." 2:37 At the end of May, the government delayed publishing its child poverty strategy until the autumn over Treasury concerns about the cost implications of ending the two-child limit on universal credit, which is expected to be part of the strategy. Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch pushed Sir Keir Starmer on whether he will lift it at Prime Minister's Questions on Wednesday after the PM last week said the government "will look at" scrapping it, in his strongest indication yet that he will. On the free school meals announcement, Sir Keir said: "Working parents across the country are working tirelessly to provide for their families but are being held back by cost-of-living pressures. "My government is taking action to ease those pressures. Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents' pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn. "This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our Plan for Change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed." Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson called it a "giant step" towards ending child poverty.
The Independent
08-05-2025
- Politics
- The Independent
Revealed: The real cost of a ‘free' education
The cost of sending children to state schools in the UK has risen sharply since 2022, exceeding both inflation and wage growth. The annual cost for secondary school is now approximately £2,275, while primary school costs exceed £1,000. Increased food costs, technology needs, and higher subject-specific expenses for secondary students contribute to the rising costs. The Child Poverty Action Group is urging the Government to expand free school meals and provide financial aid for uniforms to alleviate the burden on families. The government says it has reduced uniform costs and invested in breakfast clubs but faces pressure to address child poverty comprehensively.
