Gillingham & Rainham Conservative MP slammed for letting children to go hungry during school holidays

On Wednesday night Gillingham & Rainham Conservative MP Rehman Chishti voted against a motion in the House of Commons which would guarantee that all children who received free school meals would continue to receive them during the upcoming school holidays.

Liberal Democrat Parliamentary Spokesperson for Gillingham & Rainham Dr Alan Bullion said, "Conservative MPs voted down a motion that would support over one million children who receive free school meals. The government has found billions to fund other projects but will not find the relatively small amount to fund free school meals."

"Families who are already having a tough time because of the Government's mishandling of Coronavirus have to deal with finding extra money to feed their families at a time of unique hardship."

"Mr Chishti has voted to let over 12,000* children in Kent to go hungry. I would like to ask him on what moral grounds he can justify his decision? The lack of compassion is frightening."

"The Liberal Democrats have been long-term campaigners for free school meals and fully supported this motion. I was a beneficiary of free school meals myself. We have always believed in a country like the UK, no child should be going hungry. This is why free school meals has been one of our flagship policies and one of the achievements that we were most proud of in Government."

*Data on numbers of children in receipt of free school meals can be found at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/free-school-meals-supplementary-grant-2019-to-2020