Ashfield MP Lee Anderson says one-size-fits-all approach to free kids meals doesn't work

I voted against the motion as it was to consider an issue, not to change the law and if the motion had passed it would still not have changed the law.

After the vote the headlines were ‘horrible Conservatives denying children a meal’.

The reality is of course totally different.

This Government has extended free school meal eligibility to a further 50,000 children and expanded programmes like breakfast clubs.

Since the start of coronavirus, the Government has added more than £9 billion to the welfare system, increaing universal credit by £1,000/year, increasing local housing allowance and creating a £180 million fund to help struggling families with their rent, creating a £63 million fund for councils to use for local welfare assistance and awarding £16 million to food charities.

Free school meals have been part of the education system for more than 100 years and they are, and have always been intended to be, an additional support on school days in term time.

I believe personal responsibility matters – looking after your own family – and the Government is enabling families to budget for this through a responsive and effective welfare system, not free food.

The benefits system needs reforming.

For example, a single person with three children in Ashfield working 16 hours on minimum wage would receive a top up in benefits to give an income of around £24,000 a year and pay no income tax.

This household would be entitled to free school meals and to get a net figure of £24,000 a year an employer would have to pay you more than £30,000 a year.

When I show people this calculation, they are shocked as this figure is well above the average wage in Ashfield.

I would argue that children in workless households should get the full support for free school meals as they are the ones in the most need.

I think Marcus Rashford has a noble cause, but a one-size-fits-all approach to school meals doesn’t work.

Let’s target the ones that need our help the most – which we are already doing.

Lee Anderson is MP for Ashfield.