Manchester United's Marcus Rashford has forced UK Prime Minister Boris Johnson into an embarrassing u-turn over the issue of free school meals for the poor.
Conservative leader Johnson announced a new £120 million voucher scheme for struggling families after public pressure from Rashford, who wrote an Open Letter to Members of Parliament via social media asking them to extend the programme over the summer.
The initiative allows families that are entitled to free school meals to avail of a £15 a week voucher to use in supermarkets each week during the holidays.
Rashford detailed how he relied upon free school meals and Christmas dinners as a child.
An Open Letter to all MPs in Parliament...#maketheUturn
Please retweet and tag your local MPs pic.twitter.com/GXuUxFJdcv— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) June 14, 2020
The UK Government were facing a backbench rebellion, with some Conservatives poised to join Labour, who were set to force a vote on the matter.
Now, Johnson's Government will guarantee a 'COVID summer food fund' to provide for hungry kids during the summer holidays.
A spokesman for Johnson said that:
"The prime minister welcomes Marcus Rashford's contribution to the debate around poverty and respects the fact that he has been using his profile as a sportsman to highlight important issues."
England player Rashford has reacted with joy to the development.
I don’t even know what to say.
Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.— Marcus Rashford MBE (@MarcusRashford) June 16, 2020
Rashford is set to return to the football pitch when Manchester United play Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Friday night.
Download the brand new OffTheBall App in the Play Store & App Store right now! We've got you covered!
Subscribe to OffTheBall's YouTube channel for more videos, like us on Facebook or follow us on Twitter for the latest sporting news and content.
