Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford has written an emotional letter to MPs, urging them to reverse the government’s decision to not provide free school meals vouchers during summer.
Rashford shared his open letter on Twitter, writing in a tweet: “An Open Letter to all MPs in Parliament… #maketheUturn Please retweet and tag your local MPs.”
Following the announcement of lockdown in the UK in March, the government introduced the national voucher system to support low income families feed children while schools were closed.
However, earlier this month, the government announced the scheme – which was eligible for 1.3 million children in England who are on free school meals – will not be extended to the summer holidays.
Their announcement of the the scheme’s end during summer has led Marcus Rashford to call for them to reverse their decision.
In his open letter, Rashford details his own experiences growing up and relying on breakfast clubs, food banks and free school meals, writing “[his] story is all too familiar for families in England”. The letter also sees him urge MPs to “find their humanity” and “make the U-turn”.
Rashford’s letter to MPs comes weeks after he was honoured with a special award for helping to raise £20 million for FareShare – a charity that helps fight hunger and food waste in the UK – during the coronavirus pandemic.