Extending free school meals to all pupils in England, says Liz Truss

Labour MP Kim Johnson has demanded immediate action from the new Prime Minister to stop children freezing and starving this winter as the cost of living crisis worsens

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Image: PA)

Liz Truss is urged to offer a lifeline to struggling families by extending free school meals to all students.

Labour MP Kim Johnson has demanded immediate action from the new Prime Minister to stop children freezing and starving this winter as the cost of living crisis deepens.

All pupils in English public schools are currently entitled to free lunches until the end of year 2.

After that, they are only eligible if their parent or guardian is on certain benefits. Families on Universal Credit can only qualify for free school meals if their annual income is less than £7,400, not including benefits.

There has been a growing demand from teachers, unions and campaigners to expand the offer of free meals, which Scotland and Wales have committed to.

Labour MP Kim Johnson has urged the Prime Minister to act now to prevent children from freezing and starving to death this winter (

Picture:

DailyMirror)

Speaking in Parliament, Ms Johnson said: 'If the new Prime Minister is to stop children freezing and starving this winter, rolling out free school meals for all must be a cornerstone of any plan emergency assistance.

"Instead of a real living wage and a welfare system that lifts people out of poverty, we have a crisis of precarious work and poverty wages and a welfare system that plunges people in misery.

"Don't worry, we are facing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis."

The MP for Liverpool Riverside has warned that hunger is holding back poorer pupils, who are already more likely to lag behind their peers in the classroom.

She said, "It's outrageous that even at this young age, for most of them, the...