More steps to be taken: Rashford after making UK government change policy over free school meals

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Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford said on Wednesday he would keep fighting to help low-income families after his campaign forced the British government to change its policy on providing free school meals for the poorest children.

The 22-year-old England forward drew on his own experience of growing up in poverty to demand more help for those struggling with the economic impact of the coronavirus lockdown.

Read – ‘Inspiration’: Twitter hails Rashford after his campaign gets UK to approve free meals for children

After initially resisting the change, Prime Minister Boris Johnson on Tuesday confirmed that 1.3 million children in England would continue to receive meal vouchers over the six-week summer holidays.

Rashford said he was “grateful” for the decision, and revealed he thanked the prime minister in a phone call.

But he told the BBC: “I don’t want this to be the end of it because there are more steps that need to be taken, and we just need to analyse the response.

“People are struggling all year around, so we still need to learn more about the situation people are in and how we can help them best.”

Rashford’s campaign drew support from politicians, charities and education leaders – including members of Johnson’s Conservative party.

His victory was splashed across the front pages…

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