Now Jamie Oliver backs Sadiq Khan’s calls to offer ALL children across England free school meals as new poll shows more than half of Tory voters would back nation-wide scheme
- All primary-aged pupils in state-funded London schools get free school meals
- Majority of both Conservative and Labour voters are in favour of extending this
Jamie Oliver today backed calls from London Mayor Sadiq Khan for all children across England to be given free school meals.
The celebrity chef spoke out as a survey suggested the majority of both Conservative and Labour voters are in favour of extending free school meals.
Oliver, who has long campaigned on food and nutrition issues, called for child health to be put above politics and insisted that it was time to prioritise the issue.
His comments came as free school meals were rolled out to all primary-aged pupils in state-funded schools in London for the 2023/24 academic year.
In February, Mr Khan unveiled a taxpayer-funded £130million plan to give all London primary schoolchildren free meals – and suggested this should be copied UK-wide.
Jamie Oliver, pictured on July 18, has long campaigned on child food and nutrition issues
London Mayor Sadiq Khan visits his old school, Fircroft Primary School in Tooting Bec, South London, to announce an emergency scheme around free school meals on February 20
Currently nationwide only some children qualify for free school meals, including those whose parents are on Universal Credit with a household income of less than £7,400 a year.
Oliver is one of the backers of the Feed the Future campaign, which was launched to address the issues of food insecurity for families and is led by a coalition of organisations including the National Education Union and Save the Children.
The campaign is calling on both the Conservative and Labour parties to commit to nationally expanding the eligibility for free school meals to all children in England.
Research for the School Food Review group – a coalition of 30 organisations including charities, educational bodies, unions and academics – found that 82 per cent of prospective Labour voters and more than half of prospective Conservative voters (53 per cent ) are in favour of extending free school meals immediately to all children from families receiving Universal Credit, followed by a future expansion to all pupils.
Research found 82 per cent of prospective Labour voters and 53 per cent of prospective Conservative voters are in favour of extending free school meals immediately to all children from families receiving Universal Credit, followed by a future expansion to all pupils
The survey of 3,011 members of the public across England at the end of June and beginning of July found that almost three quarters of all respondents (71 per cent) believe the current income threshold is inadequate or should not exist at all.
Oliver said: ‘It’s great to see that voters across all parties want to put child health first. This reflects what I’m hearing across all my social channels – it’s time to prioritise our children’s health.
‘We know that nourishing young minds with nutritious food is an investment in their future, boosts our economy and our health.
‘Sadiq Khan has recognised this by giving all primary school children a free school meal and now we need politicians across all parties to put child health above politics and act now.’
The polling suggested almost two thirds (65 per cent) of prospective Labour voters would be more likely to vote for the party if they committed to extending free school meals to all children on Universal Credit immediately and to all children in primary and secondary education in future.
Jamie Oliver launches his campaign against sub-standard school dinners in 2006
In this case almost a quarter (23 per cent) of 2019 Conservative voters and 18 per cent of those who intend to vote Conservative said they would be more likely to switch to Labour, the research suggested.
A Government spokesperson said: ‘Over a third of pupils in England now receive free school meals in education settings, compared with one in six in 2010 and we have extended eligibility several times to more groups of children than any other government over the past half a century.
‘This includes introducing new eligibility criteria for families receiving Universal Credit, to ensure even more children were eligible for a free school meal.
‘We’re providing record financial support worth an average £3,300 per household. We have also raised benefits in line with inflation, increased the National Living Wage and are helping households with food, energy and other essential costs.’
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