THE UK Government is not planning to axe free school meals and period products for English pupils, a source has insisted.
In a strongly-worded briefing to the PA news agency, a Department for Education source said that reports suggesting Bridget Phillipson was considering cutting free programmes were “complete rubbish”.
The source said: “It’s no secret that there are some tough choices coming down the track – but if people don’t think Bridget is going to fight tooth and nail to protect programmes that support the most disadvantaged children, they don’t know Bridget very well.
“Any suggestions those things are being ‘offered up’ is complete rubbish.”
It comes as the Chancellor (above) prepares to unveil a fresh round of spending cuts at the Spring Statement on Wednesday, which critics are portraying as an “emergency budget” after Labour’s first eight months in Government have delivered economic stagnation.
Labour have already announced plans to cut disability benefits and raid the foreign aid budget to pay for more defence spending.
On Monday, Keir Starmer said he believed that ministers could “take some money out of government” and that the state should be “more efficient”.
But Chancellor Rachel Reeves seemed to concur with suggestions that the Government was not planning to row back on flagship pledges to deliver free school meals.
She said: “This government is rolling out free breakfast clubs in all primary schools from April. I don’t recognise those claims that the government are looking at means-testing free school meals.”
