Celebrity chef Jamie Oliver is calling for the Government to end food poverty by giving schoolchildren free meals during the holidays – this national scandal must end
England footballer Callum Wilson is spot on when he says having enough to eat is a basic human right. Yet new figures from the Trussell Trust show a quarter of young people aged 11 to 17 know someone of their age regularly skipping meals.
Food campaigner Jamie Oliver says that is a disgrace. So does Callum, whose own family used food banks when he was growing up. Such desperation is only set to get worse with food inflation pushing prices up by more than 17% in the last 12 months alone.
The Tories promised to end child poverty by 2020. But 800,000 children from struggling homes are still missing out on school meals. Jamie Oliver knows what must be done to remedy this. Free school meals should go to all who need them, and continue to be provided during school holidays. There are many calls on the public purse. But ending the scandal of hungry children should be the one given priority.
William Verden is a living testament to never giving up hope. Medics said end-of-life care was in the teenager’s best interests when he was dying from kidney disease. His autism and learning disabilities were among the reasons given for not letting him have a transplant.