Christina Adane has just one request from Friday's “mini Budget”, where the new Prime Minister Liz Truss will unveil billions in tax cuts.
“The Prime Minister needs to extend free school meals provision because she’s ditching everything else,” says the campaigner who inspired Marcus Rashford’s fight on holiday hunger.
“She at least owes us that.”
Christina was 17 and on free school meals in London when she started a petition in May 2020 to feed kids during the half term of the first lockdown. As it reached almost half a million signatures, footballer Marcus Rashford joined the fight. The rest is a history of government U-turns that fed millions of children during the pandemic.
Now the Government is U-turning again. And it is turning back the clock on a string of commitments made to campaigners like Christina.
Since Liz Truss came into office, government promises on junk food, and even the sugar tax – which charges soft-drink makers if their drinks are too sugar-laden – are suddenly “under review”.
“I started this campaign when I was in Year 11 because I never felt poor until lunchtime,” Christina says. “I’ve now left school, yet things are worse than they were when I started.
“Why is the sugar levy suddenly under review? We’d won the fight on junk food ads – but now the policy is postponed. One third of young people are facing diet-related disease by the age of 11. It’s really bleak and disturbing we are having to fight this hard.”
In the David and Goliath fight against Big Food, Goliath is back.
“This is about promises given to backbenchers during votes of no confidence,” Christina, 19, says.
“How can a bunch of young people fight against that? It’s party politics over child health.”
On Sunday, the Mirror and National Education Union are holding a fringe event at the Labour Conference as part of our new campaign calling on the Government to provide free school meals for every primary pupil in England.
A report by the Food Foundation in April revealed 2.6million kids are living in households that miss meals or struggle to access healthy food – before winter even begins.
Former footballer and TV presenter Gary Lineker, Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham and London Mayor Sadiq Khan are leading more than 100 politicians, groups and faith leaders who have already signed an open letter to the Prime Minister urging her to act.
They say the Scottish and Welsh governments are introducing universal free school meals, and it’s time England did the same to stop children bearing the brunt of the cost-of-living crisis.
Bite Back 2030, where Christina is working during her gap year, is calling for the Government to extend free school meals to 800,000 children who are living in poverty but not currently eligible – a number set to grow exponentially.
“Child health is the responsibility of government,” Christina says. “Yet the systems that should be supporting children are failing them. It’s not only disappointing, it is actually going to shorten our lives.”
She shakes her head.
“For me, growing up, having free school meals was something I was ashamed about,” she says. “I didn’t realise how important it was.”
The new Prime Minister has strong links to the Institute of Economic Affairs. Part-funded by the tobacco industry, it has regularly campaigned against the sugar tax and curbs on junk food advertising.
Bite Back 2030 – a grassroots youth organisation backed by chef Jamie Oliver – has 80 young campaigners like Christina, who are battling the Government and food industry to transform Britain’s food landscape.
A 15 year old schoolgirl we spoke to is one of Bite Back 2030’s campaigners in Sheffield. She wants others to have access to the free school meals that make such a difference to her family.
“At school I see an incredible amount of people who can’t afford to buy the lunch they need,” she says. “People will buy one small milkshake carton, which is not a lunch. Or you see people get to the cashier and find their school dinner account is in debt.
“The amount of people who are in this situation is scarily large, it’s got more noticeable in the last year. You can see the two divides in the canteen.
“Pupils are going up to teachers saying, ‘I haven’t had lunch today, where can I get food?’ Pupils from my area are buying two big bags of crisps for £1 before school and they will eat that at lunch because it is cheaper than canteen food.”
Her family is cutting back, but the cost of their shopping is escalating.
“As the winter approaches, my mum has already told us we’re not getting cereal for breakfast any more and we’ll be eating porridge.
“Milk is one of our biggest problems, it’s so much more expensive.”
President of the NEU, Louise Atkinson, vividly remembers growing up on free school meals.
“I grew up in the 80s and I was a free school meal kid all the way through school,” she says. “I know, personally, the difference that made to me and my family. I was grateful of a healthy school dinner each day but I remember being embarrassed.
“Providing meals to all pupils in primary school will ensure no child feels the way I did.
“A hungry child in the classroom is quiet, distracted and withdrawn. A child who has been well fed is inquisitive, excited and engaged.
“We want our classrooms full of well-fed, excited children every day.”
Inspired by the young people at Bite Back 2030, Christina says she is tired of the Government’s excuses.
“They have the money,” she says, on the eve of a Budget that will splash billions and loosen the cap on bankers’ bonuses. “Let’s use food to heal and bring people together.”
Additional reporting by Maryam Qaiser.
