Overwhelming support for universal free school meals piles pressure on Prime Minister-in-waiting Andy Burnham to go even further than Keir Starmer in expanding access
Two thirds of people in England support extending free school meals to all primary school children, a new poll shows.
The policy unites Labour’s fragmented 2024 general election voters, with support from 83% of Labour loyalists, 84% of those who have switched to left-wing parties and 67% who have switched to right-wing parties, the More in Common and the National Education Union research found.
It piles pressure on PM-in-waiting Andy Burnham to go even further than Keir Starmer in expanding free school meals (FSM) access. The PM announced all children in families who receive universal credit will be eligible for free hot lunches from this September, benefitting half a million kids.
The Mirror has long been campaigning for FSM for all primary school children. This newspaper welcomed Mr Starmer’s landmark expansion, which was first announced last summer.
Among the survey’s other findings, support was found to be strongest among parents, with 82% backing universal FSM. But support is not limited to those who stand to gain from it directly, with the majority of people without children (63%) and of those who describe themselves as financially comfortable (66%) backing the policy.
Tackling child poverty is the biggest reason people support the policy (37%), ahead of easing the cost of living for families (33%) and ensuring all children are treated equally (33%).
Susan, a construction worker who switched allegiances from Labour to Reform, told researchers: “Punishing the child for the parents working. The parents can be working and them kids could still not be getting fed.”
Justin, an IT worker and Labour loyalist, told the study: “The fact that children can eat together, I think it’s a very important stage of kids’ lives. It’s a place where they’re doing a lot of the learning, even though it’s not in lessons, it’s in the lunch halls.
“And for the social aspect, remember these kids have endured COVID, so they’ve lost a lot of this time being able to just be in a lunch hall.”
In a speech on Wednesday, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson also threw her weight behind a “universal early years” offer as she sets out the economic and social case for more support for parents.
She argued that increasing access to Government-funded childcare will help counter the youth unemployment crisis and boost growth in communities.
Alex Newton, deputy director at More in Common, said: “Universal free school meals for primary pupils represents a real opportunity for incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham. The policy, which Burnham previously championed, bridges Britain’s political divides, has the backing of 65 per cent of the public and provides a rare point of cross-spectrum consensus.
“It also unites Labour’s fracturing coalition, winning the support of those who have stayed with the party and those who have switched to other alternatives on the left and right. It has the added bonus of allowing a new government to say it supports ‘squeezed’ working families, but is also tackling child poverty.”
A Department for Education spokeswoman said: “This government is giving free school meals to every single child from a household that claims Universal Credit – a historic step backed by over £1billion in funding that will lift 100,000 children out of poverty.
“This is alongside the removal of the two-child limit, which taken together, is set to lead to the largest reduction in child poverty in a single parliament, since records began. That is alongside expanding childcare and rolling out free breakfast clubs across the country and giving parents back up to 95 hours a year and saving them £450.”
::: More in Common polled 2,011 adults between 10-13 April and 2,993 adults between 19-22 June in England.