We ask Wrexham and Clwyd South MP’s why they voted down Free School Meals motion

A motion calling for the continuation of funding of free school meals in England was defeated last night after more than 300 Conservative MPs voted against its extension.

The issue has been given a higher profile recently due to an ongoing campaign by England and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford who has explained his personal experiences of food poverty growing up in Manchester.

The topic ended up in a vote after Labour used an Opposition Day motion in the House of Commons to call a debate and a division on the topic.

The original Motion put forward read: “That this House calls on the Government to continue directly funding provision of free school meals over the school holidays until Easter 2021 to prevent over a million children going hungry during this crisis.”

Following the vote we asked Wrexham’s MP Sarah Atherton and Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes why they voted the way they did on the Motion, in effect rejecting it.

We also noted comments from some of their colleagues who said they voted against as they would “prefer a proper long term solution to tackling food inequality and food poverty in this country”, and what the Conservative plan is for that.

Recently Welsh Government guaranteed free school meal provision for all school holidays up to and including Easter 2021, as well allocating funding to support colleges with the equivalent provision for eligible learners, as a result we asked if the MPs opposed that policy itself.

Finally, as the matter related to England rather than Wales we asked if they felt such Opposition Motions should be split up under English votes for English laws (EVEL) style rules.

Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton replied:

Like my colleagues, I believe that we do need a long term, workable solution to tackle food inequality across the UK. Yesterday’s vote in Parliament, brought by the Labour Party, would not have achieved this. ‘Opposition Day’ motions have no legislative power; the vote would not have changed law, nor was it binding on the Government. They only serve to provide a blinkered and negative spin on a situation for the purpose of political point scoring.

Of course, no one wants any child to go hungry and we are experiencing unprecedented and difficult times. That is why the UK Government rightly extended free school meals during the Easter and Summer holidays, whilst students were off school. However students are now back at school and those eligible for free school meals will continue to get that provision.

Free school meals are a devolved responsibility and I respect the Welsh Government’s position on this. The UK Government is supporting Wales throughout the pandemic through the welfare system, with the Universal Credit and working tax credit uplift, an extra £4.4bn to Welsh Government to help manage the consequences of Covid 19, and other support schemes such as furlough and business support. I continue to work with local charities and agencies to support all of my constituents and businesses in Wrexham.

Clwyd South MP Simon Baynes replied:

Yesterday there was an Opposition Day debate on extending the provision of school meals in England over the school holidays. It did not relate to Wales as this is a devolved responsibility of the Welsh Government. The vote was not binding, nor was it a proposed law.

The reason for my vote was because Free School Meals have always been a school provision while students are in school. In England it was rightly extended back in March 2020 to the start of September 2020 as the overwhelming majority of students were told not to come into school. Therefore it was appropriate that Free School Meals via vouchers were given to students. In total £380m of vouchers were redeemed in supermarkets and elsewhere over that time.

Students, though, are now back in school and those eligible for Free School Meals in England are getting that provision once again in their school setting. This is a really positive policy which has my full support. I do not feel, however, that extending Free School Meals over the school holidays is the proper long term solution to tackling food inequality and food poverty in this country and I am working with colleagues across the House of Commons for a long term, sustainable solution. The best long term approach lies in measures such as the UK government’s recent increase in funding to Universal Credit of £9.3bn or an average increase per household of £1,040 per year and the additional £63m given by the government to English Local Authorities in funding to get food, essentials and meals to those most in need, both young and old, which was praised by the Trussell Trust.

I fully respect the devolution settlement and the right of the Welsh Government to decide its own school policies and I am sure the Welsh Government respects the right of Welsh MPs of all political parties to vote on policies decided in the UK parliament at Westminster.

The original Motion was negatived in a vote 261 to 322 – a UK Government majority of 61 – and it was resolved instead: “That this House notes that schools are now fully operational following the covid-19 outbreak, and will continue to offer free school meals in term time; welcomes the substantial support provided by the Government to children worth £550 million annually; further welcomes that this support has been bolstered by almost £53 billion worth of income protection schemes, and £9.3 billion of additional welfare payments; notes that eligible families have also been supported throughout lockdown through the receipt of meal vouchers worth £380 million while schools were partially closed, alongside the Holiday Activities and Food Fund; and further supports the Government in its ongoing activities to help the most vulnerable children in society.”

You can read the full debate via the Hansard record here.