Free school meals for all children in households receiving UC

Today the government has announced that all children in households receiving Universal Credit will be entitled to free school meals. This is a bold and overdue step that will lift over 100,000 children out of poverty and provide half a million more with a guaranteed, nutritious meal each school day.

I welcome this decision – but I urge the government to accelerate our efforts to ensure that every child has access to nutritious meals, irrespective of their background.

In Blackpool South – where so many families are burdened by food insecurity – this policy will be transformative. Children in our community will benefit directly and parents will be around £500 a year better off as a result. It’s an important step in tackling the deep-rooted inequalities that have held children back for far too long.

Children cannot learn on an empty stomach. Healthy food improves not just physical wellbeing, but concentration, behaviour and attainment. That’s why I have consistently called for – and will continue to push for – a universal approach to free school meals.

Universal provision is not a radical idea. It is already a reality in many successful countries, and it works. It removes stigma, ensures no child is left out and builds a culture of fairness and shared opportunity. Means-tested systems, however well-intentioned, always leave some children behind. We must be ambitious enough to say that no child in Britain should ever go hungry at school.

Here in Blackpool, the need is especially urgent. We are a community with some of the highest levels of child poverty in the country. Too many children are falling behind because of circumstances entirely outside their control. Addressing this requires not just free school meals – but bold, joined-up action across housing, employment, and public health.

The government’s Child Poverty Taskforce has a critical role to play in shaping a ten-year strategy that delivers lasting, measurable change. That starts with listening to communities like ours and recognising that food, education and opportunity are inextricably linked.

I’ll continue to champion universal free school meals, push for ambitious anti-poverty policies, and make sure the voices of children and families in Blackpool South are heard loud and clear in Westminster.

This announcement is a step forward. Let’s make sure it leads towards a future where no child is hungry and every child has the best possible start in life.