Rachel Taylor MP, North Warwickshire and Bedworth
- New entitlement to free school meals for all children in North Warwickshire where a parent is on Universal Credit
- Delivers on Plan for Change to break down barriers to opportunity by driving better behaviour, attainment, and wellbeing in schools.
- Puts nearly £500 a year in parents’ pockets, making it easier for families who are struggling to make ends meet.
- Labour’s historic move will lift 100,000 children out of poverty and support parents in decisive action to improve lives ahead of the forthcoming Child Poverty Strategy.
- Comes alongside more than £13 million to ensure food that might have been left in fields instead ends up on the plates of those who need it, including school children.
The Labour MP for North Warwickshire and Bedworth, Rachel Taylor MP, has welcomed the Labour government’s plans to deliver a free nutritious meal every school day for over half a million more children, as Labour put £500 back into parents’ pockets every year by expanding eligibility for free school meals.
From the start of the 2026 school year, every pupil in North Warwickshire whose household is on Universal Credit will have a new entitlement to free school meals. This will make life easier and more affordable for parents who struggle the most, delivering on Labour’s commitment to break down barriers to opportunity and give all children the best start in life.
The unprecedented expansion will lift 100,000 children across England completely out of poverty. Giving children the access to a nutritious meal during the school day also leads to higher attainment, improved behaviour, and better outcomes – meaning they get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.
Since 2018, children have only been eligible for free school meals if their household income is less than £7,400 per year, meaning hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty have been unable to access free school meals.
The expansion of eligibility now means that 4070 children are eligible to receive free school meals in Rachel Taylor’s North Warwickshire and Bedworth constituency. That figure was 5280 children in Nuneaton (Jodie Gosling MP) and 4340 children in Rugby constituency (John Slinger MP).
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“Working parents across the country are working tirelessly to provide for their families but are being held back by cost-of-living pressures.
“My government is taking action to ease those pressures. Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents’ pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn.
“This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our Plan for Change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed.”
Labour is also offering more than £13 million in funding to 12 food charities across England to redistribute thousands of tonnes of fresh produce directly from farms to fight food poverty in communities.
The Tackling Food Surplus at the Farm Gate scheme is helping farms and organisations to work collaboratively to ensure edible food that might have been left rotting in the fields instead ends up on the plates of those who need it, including schoolchildren. This comes as part of Labour’s wider Food Strategy, helping to drive change and support a healthier, more sustainable, and resilient food system.
Rachel Taylor MP said:
“North Warwickshire has much higher levels of deprivation than the south of the county, and I know how much many families in my constituency are struggling with the cost-of-living. It’s not acceptable to hear that some parents on Universal Credit, many of whom are in work, have been skipping meals to ensure their kids are able to eat.
That’s why I am delighted that the government is expanding free school meal provision, to ensure every child can get a healthy nutritious meal during the school day. That’s really welcome action to ensure we lift children out of poverty. Put money back in parents’ pockets, and give every child the best start in life.”
