Marcus Rashford's campaign forces UK govt to rethink free school meal scheme
Jun 16, 2020
Manchester [UK], June 16 : Manchester United star Marcus Rashford on Tuesday got a massive shot in the arm as he got the UK government to provide free meals for vulnerable children over the school holidays after they took a U-turn on their initial decision.
After immense pressure from Rashford, it has been confirmed that children eligible for free school meals in term time in England will get a six-week voucher.
"Owing to the coronavirus pandemic, the Prime Minister (Boris Johnson) fully understands that children and parents face an entirely unprecedented situation over the summer," Goal.com quoted the Prime Minister's official spokesperson as saying.
"To reflect this, we will be providing a COVID summer food fund. This will provide food vouchers over the six-week summer holiday period. This is a specific measure to reflect the unique circumstances of the pandemic. The scheme will not continue beyond the summer," the spokesperson said.
"I do not even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together. This is England in 2020," Rashford tweeted on Tuesday after finding out about the UK government's decision.
Rashford had written an emotional open letter to all the MPs on Monday, asking them to continue the national voucher scheme aiming to feed children from low-income families while schools were closed during the coronavirus pandemic.
In a letter sent to the UK government on Monday, Rashford had recalled his own experiences of having to rely on free school meals and food banks when he was a child growing up in Manchester.
Earlier in the day, Rashford had urged all the MPs to move over politics and do the needful.
In a series of tweets, Rashford had urged all the MPs to think about people who do not have resources and how much the help will benefit them.
"When you wake up this morning and run your shower, take a second to think about parents who have had their water turned off during lockdown #maketheuturn," read one of Rashford's tweets.
"Recognise children around the country are this morning innocently questioning 'why?' 9 out of 30 children in any given classroom are today asking 'why?' 'Why does our future not matter?' #maketheuturn," Rashford said in a subsequent tweet.
