³ÉÈËÂÛ̳

The government has changed its mind again on providing free school meals to children in England during the Christmas holidays.

It comes after the ongoing campaign by Manchester United's Marcus Rashford.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson phoned the England striker on 7 November to tell him there would be £396 million of support to provide free school meals this Christmas, next Easter and summer holidays.

Rashford, who set up a petition for the cause which more than a million people signed, said it would improve the lives of nearly 1.7 million children.

Support had already been announced for children in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.

In October, the Prime Minister had said he would not change his policy on free school meals for the Christmas holidays, because families are supported by the benefit system.

But after his phone call with the Prime Minister on Saturday 7 November, Rashford said: "Following the game today, I had a good conversation with the prime minister to better understand the proposed plan, and I very much welcome the steps that have been taken to combat child food poverty in the UK."

Rashford's campaign for free school meals began in June when he concinved the government to provide vouchers in the summer holidays for 1.3 million children in England who were receiving free school meals in term time, following the support given during the first coronavirus lockdown in April.

Rashford has spoken openly about this own struggles with food poverty when he was younger.

He said: "Without the kindness and generosity of the community I had around me, there wouldn't be the Marcus Rashford you see today: a 22-year-old black man lucky enough to make a career playing a game I love."