Overview
- From September 2026, around 500,000 additional pupils will become eligible for free school lunches, with the government estimating about 100,000 children will be lifted out of poverty.
- Keir Starmer and Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson promoted the policy at Welland Academy in Peterborough, where they met staff and served meals to pupils.
- The plan sits alongside wider measures such as expanded breakfast clubs and limits on branded school uniform costs, with a child‑poverty strategy due and Budget decisions expected on the two‑child benefit cap.
- The Liberal Democrats warned the programme is not fully funded, claiming schools could face a £310 million annual shortfall that would pressure budgets.
- London’s City Hall reported 100 million free primary lunches delivered since 2023, citing average savings of up to £500 per child each year and using the scheme as evidence of operational benefits.