MPs who voted to let children go hungry have to answer to public

MPs who voted to let children go hungry have to answer to public – The Yorkshire Post says

IF professional footballers had behaved as petulantly, and shamefully, as some MPs did during this week’s debates on Covid-19 lockdown and Marcus Rashford’s ‘end child food poverty’ campaign, there would be a national outcry – and, potentially, questions asked on the floor of the House of Commons.

Manchester United and England striker Marcus Rahsford.

Unfortunately the public, and all those families living in extreme poverty as Covid financial hardship takes its toll, have no such recourse to the acrimonious exchanges – Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner used the word ‘scum’ to describe a Tory opponent – and the holier than thou sanctimony both of main parties as they traded statistics and insults.

But the greater scandal is, in fact, this name-calling – and bitter slanging match involving Bradford MP Naz Shah and others – overshadowed the need for constructive and collective action to provide free school meals to the most vulnerable youngsters during school holidays, and further action to alleviate poverty. Did no one realise?

And, frankly, some MPs showed contempt for Mr Rashford’s campaign in which the Manchester United striker has used his own childhood experiences to galvanise support, in a non-partisan way, for the plight of youngsters going hungry through no fault of their own and to provide practial help where he can.

Labour deputy leader Angela Rayner caused a furore by describing a Tory MP as 'scum'.

As he stresses with both eloquence and humanity, this should not be about politics. Yet this is precisely what happened in Parliament – the debate became party political – and those Tory MPs who voted against the additional provision of school meals now have to answer to their constituents, consciences and also Marcus Rashford.

Support The Yorkshire Post and become a subscriber today.

Your subscription will help us to continue to bring quality news to the people of Yorkshire. In return, you’ll see fewer ads on site, get free access to our app and receive exclusive members-only offers.

So, please - if you can - pay for our work. Just £5 per month is the starting point. If you think that which we are trying to achieve is worth more, you can pay us what you think we are worth. By doing so, you will be investing in something that is becoming increasingly rare. Independent journalism that cares less about right and left and more about right and wrong. Journalism you can trust.

Thank you

James Mitchinson

Editor

MPs who voted to let children go hungry have to answer to public – The Yorkshire Post says

Comment Guidelines