'I know free school meals are a lifeline because I depended on them'

19 February 2023 , 22:30

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London Mayor Sadiq Khan (Image: Getty Images)

Free school meals are a lifeline.

I know because my siblings and I depended on them to eat and my parents relied on them to help make ends meet.

That’s why I’m incredibly proud to announce today that City Hall will be funding free school meals for every primary school pupil in London from September.

I firmly believe that it’s the duty of Government to make sure our children don’t go hungry.

However, given the Tories’ utter failure on this issue – and the extreme pressures facing families with young children right now – we’ve taken matters into our own hands.

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Our emergency scheme will help support children and families through this devastating cost of living crisis. It will ensure that for the whole of the next academic year every primary school child, that’s around 270,000 pupils, across the capital can access free school meals, saving parents around £440 per child.

The Mayor said the scheme could be "a game changer" for kids at risk of going hungry (Getty Images/iStockphoto)

For many of London’s poorest households, this will be a game changer. Parents will no longer have to worry about how they’ll feed their children, while pupils will no longer go hungry in the classroom.

In fact, with a hot, healthy, nutritious meal inside them, they’ll be able to better concentrate on their studies – helping to give them the best possible start in life.

Making free school meals available to all primary school pupils, as we’re doing in London and as the Mirror, the NEU and others have long campaigned for, will also remove any stigma or social embarrassment.

I remember all too painfully the shame I felt having to stand in the separate queue for children on free school meals.

After 13 years in power, it’s a damning indictment on this Tory Government that so many children in our country are still going hungry. But just like Labour in Wales, Labour in London is taking action to ensure no child is left behind.

This is crucial as we strive to build a better, fairer, more prosperous London for everyone.

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Sadiq Khan