Luton MPs Rachel Hopkins and Sarah Owen have welcomed the government’s move to expand eligibility for free school meals, calling it a “vital step” in tackling the cost of living and helping almost 8,500 children in the area succeed regardless of their background.
The move comes as part of a wider package of measures aimed at easing cost of living pressures and ensuring every child in England whose parents receive Universal Credit will be able to claim free school meals from September 2026. At present, households must earn less than £7,400 a year to qualify.
In Luton, where nearly 40 per cent of children are growing up in poverty according to recent figures, the expanded eligibility is expected to bring immediate relief to thousands of families. Local schools have also welcomed the change, saying it will help reduce stigma and ensure more pupils are able to focus and thrive in the classroom.
The government say the move will put £500 back into parents’ pockets every year to help give children the best start in life. Giving children 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.
Speaking in the House of Commons, Hopkins praised the government’s decision to offer free school meals to all children whose parents receive Universal Credit.
She said: “This expanded entitlement means that nearly 8,500 children in years 3 to 11 in Luton South and South Bedfordshire will be eligible for free school meals.”
She also pressed the Government on the wider benefits of the scheme, asking: “Can the Minister confirm that this expansion will not only support children’s behaviour and attainment, but save their families up to £500 per child per year?”
In response, Education Minister Stephen Morgan described Hopkins as “a real champion for children and young people in her constituency” and confirmed the wide-ranging impact of the policy.
“She is absolutely right to set out the differences in the cost of living that this policy will make for parents; as she suggests, it will also have real benefits in behaviour, attendance and attainment,” Morgan said.
Luton North MP Sarah Owen wrote on her Facebook page: “From the next school year, every child with a parent on Universal Credit will be eligible for free school meals. This means up to 7,500 children in Luton North will now be able to get free meals. Across the country, this means lifting 100,000 children out of poverty and saving parents up to £500 every year. Every child deserves the best start to life – and alongside free breakfast clubs, cheaper school uniforms, this government is delivering it.”
The government’s new expansion to those on Universal Credit comes ahead of the Child Poverty Taskforce publishing its ten-year strategy to drive sustainable change later this year. It comes on top of targeted support for families being hit the hardest with the cost-of-living crisis, with urgent action including raising the national minimum wage, uprating benefits and supporting 700,000 families through the Fair Repayment Rate on Universal Credit deductions.
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, who visited Denbigh Primary School in April for the launch of a free breakfast club, 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.”
