Rishi Sunak denies ‘freeloaders’ remark during Marcus Rashford meeting

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has denied calling the parents of children on free school meals “freeloaders” during a government meeting following Marcus Rashford’s holiday hunger campaign.

The ongoing Covid inquiry heard how former chief scientific advisor Sir Patrick Vallance quoted in his diary someone in government saying: “Good working people pay for their children to eat and we don’t want freeloaders.”

Mr Sunak, Sir Patrick and the then Conservative chief whip Mark Spencer were present at the meeting which took place in 2021.

Well, that is as much as we know because the inquiry hasn’t been told about anyone else attending the meeting.

This was beyond the point that Rashford had secured a U-turn from then Boris Johnson’s government, which was when the then chancellor initially blocked the funding of free school meals during the summer holidays – because the poor don’t need help in the summer months, apparently.

Sunak was asked by inquiry KC Hugo Keith whether he had said the “freeloaders” comment, to which he replied: “I did not say those words, I do not recollect anyone saying those words,” as perThe Independent.

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