Children to ‘go hungry’ after free school meals cuts
Tories face backlash for exempting Northern Ireland from reforms which could affect one million children
The Government is facing a backlash from parents after controversial changes to benefits which could cause as many as one million children lose their free school meals.
Under the new legalisation, English families on universal credit will have their income threshold for free school meals slashed to £7,400 a year.
The cuts mean around 212,000 children in London stand to go hungry, 130,000 in the West Midlands and another 130,000 in the North West.
Subscribe to The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.
Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
Sam Royston of the Children's Society writes in The Guardian that the total number of children who lose out could be as high as one million, the majority from working class families.
Once a family with one child passes the £7,400 mark, it will need to earn an extra £1,000 a year, working 2.4 hours more each week at the national living wage, to cover the cost, he says.
Royston also cites research which found “loss of free school meals is a major disincentive to work, with six out of 10 parents admitting it has an impact on their decision to move into work or take on additional hours”.
Changes to free school meals, which had been in the Conservative election manifesto, were quietly dropped after the election, but now the party has been accused of trying to bring them in by the back door.
One area of Britain which seems to be protected from free school meal cuts is Northern Ireland, where the Government has just taken direct control of budgets and where the same threshold for eligibility will be nearly double the rest of the country, at £14,000.
HuffPost UK says this has led to “fresh criticism” of Theresa May’s alliance with the DUP and prompted claims the Government is seeking to “buy” support for its legislative programme.
“The Government’s inconsistency in applying the Universal Credit cut highlights a lack of real vision at the heart of our leaders’ policy,” says Evolve Politics.
“In order to get the requisite amount of votes for a deeply unpopular policy, they are reduced to exempting Northern Ireland from the fallout of that policy so that the DUP can vote it through for other areas. The perverseness is astounding,” adds the news site.
A last-minute series of votes tabled by Labour aimed at blocking changes to universal credit benefit thresholds and mitigating the effects of the cuts was defeated yesterday.
Whatever the economic rationale behind the move, it never looks good for the party in power to be seen to be taking food away from children – as Margaret “milk snatcher” Thatcher found out in 1970.
Sign up for Today's Best Articles in your inbox
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
-
Saint Paul de Vence: a paradise for art lovers
The Week Recommends The hilltop gem in the French Riviera where 20th century modernism flourished
By Alexandra Zagalsky Published
-
'People in general want workers to earn a decent living'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
What might a Trump victory mean for the global economy?
Today's Big Question A second term in office for the 'America First' administration would send shockwaves far beyond the United States' shores
By Rafi Schwartz, The Week US Published
-
What is the next Tory leader up against?
Today's Big Question Kemi Badenoch or Robert Jenrick will have to unify warring factions and win back disillusioned voters – without alienating the centre ground
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Is Labour risking the 'special relationship'?
Today's Big Question Keir Starmer forced to deny Donald Trump's formal complaint that Labour staffers are 'interfering' to help Harris campaign
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
What is Lammy hoping to achieve in China?
Today's Big Question Foreign secretary heads to Beijing as Labour seeks cooperation on global challenges and courts opportunities for trade and investment
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
'This is but one of a string of troubles confronting the agency'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Men in Gray suits: why the plots against Starmer's top adviser?
Today's Big Question Increasingly damaging leaks about Sue Gray reflect 'bitter acrimony' over her role and power struggle in new government
By Harriet Marsden, The Week UK Published
-
Who will replace Rishi Sunak as the next Tory leader?
In Depth Shortlist will be whittled down to two later today
By The Week UK Last updated
-
'Year-round school is also good for kids'
Instant Opinion Opinion, comment and editorials of the day
By Justin Klawans, The Week US Published
-
Is Britain about to 'boil over'?
Today's Big Question A message shared across far-right groups listed more than 30 potential targets for violence in the UK today
By Sorcha Bradley, The Week UK Published