If the government can't subsidise school meals for our poorest children (sometimes their only proper meal of the day) maybe MPs shouldn't get subsidies for food and alcohol in addition to their significant pay rise?
action.labour.org.uk/page/s/protect-free-school-meal
you.38degrees.org.uk/petitions/end-subsidised-food-and-alcohol-in-parliament-and-the-lords?bucket=
Tory and DUP MPs have voted for controversial cuts to free school meals in England – despite protecting Northern Ireland from similar curbs.
Charities and other campaigners claim that the welfare reforms mean that up to a million children will be denied eligibility for free lunches.
Labour points out that the cuts planned for England stand in sharp contrast to the situation in Northern Ireland, where children of the “working poor” will get stronger protection.
English families on universal credit will see the income threshold for free school meals slashed to £7,400 a year, HuffPost revealed last weekend.
Yet in Northern Ireland, where the Government has just taken direct control of spending budgets, the same threshold for eligibility will be nearly double that rate, at £14,000.
FULL STORY FROM HUFFINGTON POST HERE:
www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/free-school-meal-eligibility-cuts-go-ahead-after-tory-mps-vote-for-universal-credit-changes-dup-childcare-vouchers-six-month-delay_uk_5aa816a4e4b0a09afeae9d85
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Please petition the house and campaign for an end to subsidised food and alcohol for MP's and Lords. Raise the subject at Prime Ministers questions or from the floor of the House of Commons (link above).
Why is this important?
It now costs the British tax payer more than £6 million pounds per annum to supply public servants with subsidised food and alcohol. Given the recent MP salary increase to £74000 (before expenses) it's not unreasonable to expect that they pay for subsistence in the same way the majority of other workers do. The average wage in the UK is £26000 - £74000 pa from the public purse is quite enough. Equality with other workers!