Stephen Morgan MP visited his former infant school, Penbridge Infant School in Fratton, to discuss all things school food and talk directly with those provided quality nutritious food for children. The visit follows the Labour Government announcing the expansion of free school meal entitlement to over half a million more children nationwide.
Mr Morgan made the visit to discuss and observe firsthand the importance of providing children with the nutrition that they need to have a productive day within school, ahead of the delivery of daily free meals for over 10,000 schoolchildren in Portsmouth.
From the start of the 2026 school year, as voted for by Mr Morgan, every pupil in Portsmouth whose household is on Universal Credit will have a new entitlement to free school meals, making life easier and more affordable for parents who struggle the most by putting £500 back in their pockets every year.
Giving local children the access to a nutritious meal during the school day also leads to higher attainment, improved behaviour and better outcomes – meaning they get the best possible education and chance to succeed in work and life.
Since 2018, children have only been eligible for free school meals if their household income is less than £7,400 per year, meaning hundreds of thousands of children living in poverty have been unable to access free school meals under the previous Tory government.
Labour’s historic new expansion to those on Universal Credit will change this and come following the government’s Child Poverty Strategy, which is set to drive the biggest reduction in child poverty in a single Parliament.
Commenting, Stephen Morgan, MP for Portsmouth, said:
“I know from conversations with local people, and my time in the Department for Education, how much the stain of child poverty has impacted families in Portsmouth.
“My visit with The School Food People to Penbridge Infant School allowed me a valuable opportunity to chat with catering school about the importance of daily nutrition to every child so that every child can succeed and thrive.
“I am proud to have voted for the expansion of free school meals entitlement. This decisive and much needed measure will lift Portsmouth’s children out of poverty and put money back in the pockets of this city’s parents.
“I have always strongly believed that all children, regardless of their background, deserve the best start in life. Labour is delivering this through our Plan for Change.”
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said:
“Working parents across the country are working tirelessly to provide for their families but are being held back by cost-of-living pressures.
“My government is taking action to ease those pressures. Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents’ pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn.
“This expansion is a truly historic moment for our country, helping families who need it most and delivering our Plan for Change to give every child, no matter their background, the same chance to succeed.”
Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson said:
“It is the moral mission of this government to tackle the stain of child poverty, and today this government takes a giant step towards ending it with targeted support that puts money back in parents’ pockets.
“From free school meals to free breakfast clubs, breaking the cycle of child poverty is at the heart of our Plan for Change to cut the unfair link between background and success.
“We believe that background shouldn’t mean destiny. Today’s historic step will help us to deliver excellence everywhere, for every child and give more young people the chance to get on in life.”
The decision comes following Labour’s amendment to the landmark Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill, designed to put children and their wellbeing at the centre of government policy and deliver on Labour’s mission to break down the barriers to opportunity.
Central to the bill are a number of measures to cut the cost of sending children to school and make life easier for families in Portsmouth, which Mr Morgan personally pushed for during his time as Minister for Education.
Notably, this includes a cap on the number of branded school uniform items. Accompanied by Labour’s plan to introduce Best Start free breakfast clubs in every primary school, set to save families an estimated £450 per year per child, the Bill contains measures that could keep a sizeable £500 in parents’ pockets.
In addition to steps to ease the burden on families, Labour have outlined a number of reforms to schools in order to drive high and rising standards. This includes putting more qualified, expert teachers at the front of classrooms and rolling out a new, cutting-edge national curriculum designed to ensure young people are ready for work and ready for life.
In response to a number of shocking cases of children being failed by a disjointed system over recent years, the Labour government has also brought forward a number of measures within the Bill to protect children at risk of abuse and stop vulnerable children falling through the cracks.
