Rashford scores victory over Johnson on school meals

Boris Johnson's government has caved in to pressure led by Manchester United star Marcus Rashford by agreeing to fund meals for England's poorest children over the summer.

Less than a day after Johnson rejected Rashford's plea the government performed a U-turn and said it would stump up £120m for a voucher scheme.

Families receiving free school meals will get a one-off voucher worth £15 a week to spend at supermarkets over the summer school break. Johnson had previously said the government would provide an extra £63m for local authorities to help families struggling to afford food and other basics.

Opposition Labour leader Keir Starmer asked Johnson to extend the scheme, which ran in the Easter holidays, at prime minister's questions on 10 June but the prime minister said the government would provide the £63m instead. Rashford, who received free school meals as a child, then got involved and sent an emotional open letter urging MPs to "protect the vulnerable" on Monday.

Labour was due to force a vote on the issue in the House of Commons on Tuesday. When Conservative MPs showed signs of rebelling the government scrapped plans to whip its MPs and caved in.

Rashford responded to the decision by tweeting: "I don't even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together."

The climbdown over school meals follows the government's recent U-turn on charging foreign National Health Service workers a surcharge for using the NHS. Conservative MPs are growing restive over the government's handling of such matters.

Johnson's spokesman said: "“Owing to the corona pandemic, the PM fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer … The prime minister welcomes Marcus Rashford’s contribution to the debate around poverty, and respects the fact that he has been using his profile as a sportsman to highlight important issues."