In a letter to Rishi Sunak, posted on his Instagram account, the singer and Food Foundation ambassador calls for more free meals for the most vulnerable children.
A letter asking for free school meals for precarious children in England. The band’s former singer one direction Zayn Malik published on Monday November 7 on his Instagram account an open letter addressed to the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, the newly appointed Rishi Sunak.
In this text, the artist invites the minister to expand the country’s budget devoted to free meals for children at school. Parliament is due to vote on the budget on 17th November next. This extension should allow 800,000 children who do not meet the criteria to be eligible for free meals to benefit from them.
Having recently become an ambassador for the Food Foundation, the former singer of One Direction talks at length about the plight of poor children in the United Kingdom hard hit by the energy crisis. They would have been 4 million to suffer from hunger last September.
According to him, 800,000 additional children would not have enough to eat, without being able to benefit from aid systems for the most precarious. Including free school meals. “These children cannot concentrate because of hunger, some even steal from their school canteen because they are too hungry, but cannot buy food.“, he argues, before directly challenging Rishi Sunak: “As Prime Minister, you have the power to change this situation.”
“I know what it is to be ashamed”
In his letter, the singer also recounts his modest childhood, which led him to benefit from free school meals himself. “I know what it is to be ashamed, I experienced it myself, growing up in Bradford, where I personally depended on free school meals”he recalls.
Giving free meals to children from the most precarious families would be the most effective way to help those who need it most. This would allow them to avoid the increase in the cost of living.
Zayn Malik
‘No parent should have to choose between buying food, turning on the heat or going into debt’concludes the artist.
Other celebrities have also publicly endorsed the campaign. Food Foundationlike British footballer Marcus Rashford and chef Jamie Oliver.
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