More on KentOnline
More on KentOnline
Last night 14 Conservative MPs representing Kent constituencies voted against extending free school meals for the county's poorest pupils over the holidays.
Canterbury's Rosie Duffield was the only parliamentarian from the county to back the measure - Tories Sir Roger Gale and Tracey Crouch abstained - as a motion to feed more than 52,000 Kent children eligible for free school meals was rejected by a majority of 61.
The government has so far batted away a campaign - led by Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford - to fund £15-a-week provision of school meals during the half-term and Christmas breaks.
Writing on Twitter before the vote last night, Ms Duffield said: "Everyone who has direct experience working in schools knows first hand how serious an issue holiday hunger is."
Sharon Goodyer, who set up organisation Our Kitchen in Margate to help people on the poverty line feed themselves and their children, branded South Thanet MP Craig Mackinlay 'weak' following his decision to vote against the motion .
We asked MPs representing Kent in the House of Commons why they voted as they did last night - and asked them to explain what families whose children may go hungry this Christmas should do now.
These are the responses we received.
Damian Green - Ashford
Voted: against extending free school meals
"No one wants to see children going hungry, and I admire Marcus Rashford’s generosity of spirit. The point at issue is how best to do this.
"I think that rather than vouchers for meals we should continue to support families on low incomes so that they can afford to buy food in the normal way during the school holidays.
"The Government is doing this, with £9.3bn extra going into the welfare system.
"This means that low-income families are getting £1, 000 a year extra, with payments happening through school holidays as well as during the school term.
"On top of this the Government has provided £63m to Councils to help those most in need, as well as boosting grants to food charities.
"This large injection of extra money into the benefit system ensures that no child need go hungry. This is the outcome I am sure we all want."
Damian Collins - Folkestone and Hythe
Voted: against extending free school meals
"I supported the extension of free school meals over the summer holidays, and put my name to the amendment that was tabled in parliament to deliver this.
"Although we have never before had a system of distributing free school meals outside of term time I recognised the exceptional nature of the situation this year because of the uncertainties caused by the Covid crisis. Given the length of the summer holidays I thought providing free school meals at that time was a good idea.
"However, overall support for low income families is and should continue to be delivered through Universal Credit and the benefits system.
"In addition to this the Jobs Support Scheme is helping people who are unable to return to work because of the coronavirus restrictions, part of an unprecedented £200billion package to protect jobs, incomes and businesses throughout the pandemic."
Gordon Henderson - Sittingbourne and Sheppey
Voted: against extending free school meals
"I would have been prepared to support an extension of the voucher scheme the Government introduced during the Covid-19 lockdown and summer holidays, perhaps to cover the upcoming half term holiday, however, extending it until next Easter seemed to me a step too far. The danger is that it would become open ended.
"Using a voucher system to feed underprivileged children, whilst not at school, seems to me not the best way of helping them.
"What should be remembered is no UK Government has ever provided free school meals outside of term time, including the last Labour government, which was in power for 13 years.
"The current Conservative government only decided to introduce a voucher scheme because, during the Covid-19 lockdown and later summer months, many people were not able to work and were struggling financially. However, as more people can work, the argument for continuing to provide free school meals for a period stretching into spring next year, becomes difficult to sustain."
Craig Mackinlay - South Thanet
Voted: against extending free school meals
"You suggest that I voted against free school meals. This is untrue. The original motion, put by Labour as part of their regular ‘Opposition Day debate’ opportunities, are an entrenched feature of our Parliamentary system and are designed to be purely political and often follow the ‘mother and apple pie’ formula of looking so reasonable that they couldn’t possibly be opposed.
"Such motions, even if carried, have no statutory basis and don’t become new law, it is the role of government to bring to Parliament new law and spending plans which Parliament can then consider soberly.
"Such opposition day motions are never supported by whichever governing party. This is all part of the weft and weave of our system."
Sir Roger Gale - North Thanet
Voted: abstained
"While I appreciate and indeed share the concern the scheme introduced in the summer was a temporary measure only and never designed as a long-term solution.
"Free school meal vouchers are not an appropriate way to provide income support - which is what some are really calling for.
"This should properly be addressed by Universal Credit and other fiscal measures - which is what I and others are pressing for and why I could not support what was, frankly, an opportunist opposition motion last night.
"Equally, I had hoped for and expected a more positive response to what I fear is coming down the tracks from the Front Bench. That is why I felt that I had no option but to abstain."
Tom Tugendhat - Tonbridge and Malling
Voted: against extending free school meals
"I have always argued that all parents and families should be respected and treated with dignity.
"That means that all families should have the choice to spend their money where they see fit, however much they earn and whatever they have—even if that’s money from the state. Every parent has to ensure their family is well fed, that goes without saying.
"The government rightly supports families who are struggling with this responsibility through Universal Credit and other methods of support. In the five years I have been lucky to represent Tonbridge, Edenbridge and Malling I have helped hundreds of different families in need to boost their income, to better support their children.
"The idea that I, or any other politician, would vote to take away free meals from children in need or deliberately harm our community is wrong and untrue. There are legitimate discussions we need to have on how we structure welfare but dishonesty and game-playing makes it harder to find the answers we all need."
We are still waiting to hear from the following MPs: Damian Green, Gareth Johnson, Natalie Elphicke, Helen Whately, Rehman Chishti, Adam Holloway, Helen Grant, Kelly Tolhurst, Laura Trott, and Greg Clark.
