The Oldham Liberal Democrats have welcomed Boris Johnson’s recent climbdown over the provision of school meals to the children of England’s poorest families.  The Conservative Government has pledged £396 million of targeted support for 1.7 million children over the Christmas, Easter and Summer school holidays.  The Prime Minister conveyed the good news in a telephone call on Saturday with campaigning footballer Marcus Rashford OBE.

The Liberal Democrats brought a motion to the last meeting of the Oldham Council (4 November) in support of Marcus Rashford’s campaign to tackle holiday hunger and child poverty in England. 

On hearing the welcome announcement, Saddleworth North Councillor Garth Harkness, who proposed the motion, said:  “We congratulate Marcus Rashford on his successful campaign to turn around government policy on this issue.  Only days before, Tory MPs had disgracefully voted against awarding money for school meals in Parliament; all the while taking advantage of the publicly subsidised canteens in Westminster.  Over one million people signed a petition in support of the campaign of the Manchester United and England player, and the Oldham Liberal Democrats in bringing forward this motion wanted also to show our support for Mr Rashford’s initiative”.

Crompton Councillor Louie Hamblett, who seconded the motion, added:  “The Oldham Liberal Democrats believe that to let children go hungry in the United Kingdom, one of the world’s richest economies, is truly disgraceful.  We hope that in passing this motion, Oldham Council will send a clear signal of support to Marcus Rashford and to Henry Dimbleby, who chaired the National Food Strategy group, in their fight to end child food poverty”.

The motion was carried at the Council meeting last Wednesday (4 November).