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Boris Johnson faces Tory revolt over free school meals

LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: School students and educators protest outside Downing Street against the government decision not to extend free school meals during half term and the Christmas holidays on October 24, 2020 in London, England.  - Guy Smallman/Getty Images
LONDON, ENGLAND - OCTOBER 24: School students and educators protest outside Downing Street against the government decision not to extend free school meals during half term and the Christmas holidays on October 24, 2020 in London, England. - Guy Smallman/Getty Images

Former ministers are leading a growing Tory revolt on free school meals as they told Boris Johnson to come up with “something better” or they would vote against the Government.

Up to 100 Tory MPs were said to be sharing furious texts over the Government’s handling of England footballer Marcus Rashford’s campaign for free school meals in the holidays, and the way it handed a political coup to Labour.

MPs described it as "shockingly inept", a "political disaster”, and "hopeless communication" as Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer took advantage of the Tory disarray to pledge a second vote on Rashford’s appeal for free meals for children in need to be funded over the school holidays until Easter 2021.

Conservative former minister Tim Loughton has said he would vote to maintain free meals during the pandemic if there was another Commons division after saying it was a "mistake" by the Government not to extend it during the holidays.

"It is not a question of voting with Labour. It is actually voting for what is right, and I think it is right to carry on free school cover. Free school meals is just one of those totemic things, it is like the NHS, it can do no wrong,” he said.

“I just don't think it was worth the argument: not spending £20 million on further extending the school meal cover over the coming half term was just politically a mistake."

He urged the Government to rethink its refusal to back down and introduce a scheme similar to Chancellor Rishi Sunak’s Eat Out Help Out but for schools, which would ensure the money went to children and benefited businesses.

Sir Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex, and chairman of the powerful Commons liaison committee, said ministers had 'misunderstood the mood of the country' - News Scans/News Scans
Sir Bernard Jenkin, the Conservative MP for Harwich and North Essex, and chairman of the powerful Commons liaison committee, said ministers had 'misunderstood the mood of the country' - News Scans/News Scans

At least six former senior ministers including Mr Loughton are said to be ready to vote against the Government. One said: “The clock is ticking. I am not with you unless you come up with something better."

No 10 and the Treasury had said on Sunday that there would be no about-turn as the Government had already increased universal credit and provided an extra £63 million for local councils to help families at a time of hardship.

However, work was reportedly under way which will see the Government provide additional support over Christmas for pupils eligible for free school meals.

Another former minister warned: “Potentially, there are more than 100 MPs who are with us on this one. The WhatsApp groups that I’m on are just going crazy with anger at the machinery, and that we’ve managed to score yet another own goal.”

Sir Bernard Jenkin, the Tory chairman of the powerful Commons liaison committee, said there was a risk the Government may not have the votes to defeat a Labour motion, as he warned that ministers had “misunderstood the mood of the country".

He said: "The public wants 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 Commons.”

Number Ten and the Treasury have said there would be no U-turn as the Government had already increased universal credit in a £9 billion welfare uplift and provided an extra £63 million for local councils to help families at a time of hardship.

Cabinet minister Brandon Lewis said: "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."

However, Robert Halfon, chair of the education select committee, who was one of five Tory MPs to vote against the Government on free meals last week, urged ministers to “sit down with people like Marcus Rashford” and sort out a strategy.

File photo dated 24/08/2019 of Manchester United's Marcus Rashford. Pressure is ramping up on Boris Johnson to do a U-turn on free school meals, with a senior Tory saying the Government has "misunderstood" the mood of the country. PA Photo. Issue date: Sunday October 25, 2020. MPs from within the Conservative Party have added their voices to the increasing calls for a rethink after a vote last week saw a Labour bid to extend provision over the school holidays rejected, with Rashford's campaign on the issue continuing to gather pace. See PA story POLITICS Schools. Photo credit should read: Nigel French/PA Wire - Nigel French/PA Wire

“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 pandemic, but also rolling out breakfast clubs, introducing a holiday activities programme, and examining Universal Credit,” he said.

Former minister Tobias Ellwood admitted he regretted voting against the Rashford scheme last week, and said he had been “convinced" that extending free schools meals was the best way forward.

Rashford – whose petition for his campaign has gathered more than 800,000 signatures so far – has continued to publicise a string of councils and businesses across England stepping in to provide free food to those in need during the pandemic.

However, there was a continuing fierce backlash against Tory MPs who did not vote with Labour to support the campaign last week.

MP David Morris was faced with a poster in a store in his Morecambe constituency warning him that he was “barred from entering for voting to starve children along with 322 other Conservative MPs".

"The Government has handled it appallingly and been completely outmanoeuvred by Labour. The briefings have been hopeless, ministers have been hopeless," said a former minister.

Dozens of empty plates were left outside the constituency office of Conservative MP, Sir David Amess on Sunday night.

Locals wrote messages on empty plates and left them outside the Southend West Conservative Association building on Sunday, with queues of people waiting to participate stretching down the street.