The British government on Tuesday bowed to demands by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford to change its policy on free school meals for the poorest children, amid growing concerns about the impact of the coronavirus lockdown on low-income families. Prime Minister Boris Johnson's government had initially resisted making the change, which would see 1.3 million children in England receive vouchers for an extra six weeks. "To reflect this we will be providing a Covid summer food fund. She later put out a series of tweets saying that she and Rashford "are working to the same aim". Halfon has previously warned about "an epidemic of educational poverty" after the government conceded most children would not return to school until September.

Source: News 24 June 16, 2020 14:48 UTC