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Boris Johnson faces growing revolt over free school meals as minister defends Government position

The campaign launched by Marcus Rashford has led to backlash against the Government - Fareshare/Mark Waugh/PA Wire/Fareshare/Mark Waugh/PA Wire
The campaign launched by Marcus Rashford has led to backlash against the Government - Fareshare/Mark Waugh/PA Wire/Fareshare/Mark Waugh/PA Wire

Boris Johnson is facing a growing backbench revolt over free school meals, as a Government minister was forced to defend the position.

Sir Bernard Jenkin became the latest high profile Tory MP to criticise the handling of the issue, saying the Government had “misunderstood” the mood of the country.

The Government is resisting demands led by footballer Marcus Rashford to extend free meals into the school holidays during the coronavirus pandemic.

However, Sir Bernard, the Chair of the Commons’ powerful Liaison Committee, said: "I think we have to admit that we have misunderstood the mood of the country here.

"The public want to see the Government taking a national lead on this. I think the Government will probably have to think again on that, particularly if there's going to be more votes in the House of Commons.”

It comes as Northern Ireland Secretary Brandon Lewis defended the Government's decision not to extend the provision.

Mr Lewis said the Government had increased Universal Credit and was providing £63 million to local authorities to help people in their communities at a time of hardship.

He told Sky News’ Sophy Ridge on Sunday: "I know this is a very emotive issue. It is a sensitive issue.

“It is something that affects families in my constituency as well as round the country. I think the position we have taken is the right position.

"What we are looking to do is ensure that we deal with child poverty at the core, putting the structure in place that means even in school holidays children can get access to the food that they need."

The Government extended free school meals to eligible children during the Easter holidays earlier this year.

Following the Manchester United striker's campaign, it bowed to pressure throughout the summer holiday.

Now Tory MPs are putting increasing pressure on ministers to U-turn on the issue once more.

Robert Halfon, the Chair of the Education Select Committee, said: “The Government has got to sort this.

“They need to sit down with people like Marcus Rashford and his taskforce, which has got some of the biggest food companies involved.

“They need to set out a long-term plan to combat child food hunger, not only looking at rolling out free school meal vouchers at Christmas temporarily during the coronavirus pandemic, but also rolling out breakfast clubs, introducing a holiday activities programme, and examining Universal Credit.”

While the Chair of the Defence Select Committee Tobias Ellwood said extending provision over the holidays would be a “simple and practical vehicle” to support families and called on the Government to “revisit” the option.

The Children’s Commissioner Anne Longfield has also intervened, saying the current discussion could be lifted from Charles Dickens' Victorian novel Oliver Twist.

She said: “I’ve been horrified by the debate. We’re a wealthy country, it’s 2020, and  To have a debate about whether we should make sure that hungry and vulnerable children should have enough to eat is something which is strikingly similar to the chapters, I think, of what we’d expect to see in Oliver Twist, a novel published in the 19th Century.”

Covid-19 heroes
Covid-19 heroes

Meanwhile, Mr Lewis confirmed the Government is considering reducing the length of time contacts of people infected with Covid-19 have to self-isolate, as first revealed by The Telegraph.

"Teams are looking at what we can do around those isolation periods. This will be scientifically-led," the minister said.

"We are learning more about the virus every single day. As we learn and the scientists are able to gauge, we can look at whether we can reassess that.

"We are not ready to make a final decision or announcement on that yet but we want to make sure we are moving with science and allow people to live and work within this virus as best as we can while always making sure we protect people's health and the NHS."

However, he denied that the Government would allow an exemption from quarantine rules for leading business figures, saying that any change would be for “everyone”.