CHILDREN across the South East could miss out on 2.9 million meals this summer after the Conservatives decided to fully extend free schools meals throughout the holidays.

In Oxfordshire alone, there are 12,434 children who are eligible for school meals – which means, according to calculations by the Labour party, 174,076 meals could be missed.

The Tory Government’s current plan offers free meals to children who attend holiday programme activities, which runs for 16 of the 30 weekdays throughout the summer holidays.

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This means children eligible for free school meals will be left without food support for 14 days.

Tulip Siddiq MP, Labour’s shadow minister for children, said: “Feeding hungry children cannot be a part-time activity, yet this Conservative Government is again stripping away the support that millions of families rely on.

“Ministers have had to be shamed into providing food for hungry children throughout the pandemic and it is a disgrace that we are having to do this all over again.

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“Ensuring no child goes hungry is at the heart of Labour’s Children’s Recovery Plan, which includes guaranteeing free school meals support over all school holidays during the pandemic."

Labour is calling on the Government to trust parents and enable a system of cash payments for free school meals support during the holidays, ensuring families get the full value of this support and can choose the food and supplies that are right for their children.

The party has also warned that the increase in Covid rates, which could see 3.5 million people a week forced to isolate, will result in children missing out further as the Government has no plan in place to support holiday schemes to get food to children who are isolating.