The British government promised to provide children from disadvantaged families, hard hit by the consequences of the pandemic, free meals during the Christmas holidays and after, announced footballer Marcus Rashford, leader of the campaign launched in this regard.
In the UK, the poorest children benefit from free meals during school hours, but not during the holidays. Facing the difficult economic consequences of the new coronavirus, the Manchester United star had asked the government to feed more than a million children for free during the school holidays.
The 23-year-old footballer claims to have received a call from Boris Johnson on Saturday, just after his team’s 3-1 victory against Everton in the Premier League, in which the British Prime Minister announced that the government was finally going to unlock funds for it.
“I have had a good conversation with the prime minister to better understand the plan he was proposing, and I applaud these measures that have been taken to fight child food poverty,” the footballer said in a statement.
Marcus Rashford had already backed down from the government, forcing it to prolong this free meal program put in place during the lockdown and school closures over the summer.
Boris Johnson’s decision comes after the government refused in October to extend these free meals during the All Saints holidays.
But Marcus Rashford’s campaign struck a chord with many Britons, come Christmas, and the government was accused in the press of being heartless.
The footballer from the north of England, who also grew up poor, said he was “very proud” of those who supported his campaign, vowing to “fight for the rest of my life” to prevent British children from going hungry.
The Minister for Work and Pensions, Therese Coffey, announced that an additional 170 million pounds ($223.4 million) will be unlocked to fund the program over the Christmas period of 2020, and also over the Easter holidays, of summer and Christmas 2021.