UK government makes U-turn on free school meals after Rashford campaign.

• UK government makes U-turn and will now provide food voucher for school children after Rashford campaign.

• Rashford had a wrote letter to MPs on school children food voucher.

• Rashford’s letter to MPs was retweeted more than 140,000 times on Twitter.

• Rashford wants others to think about struggling parents during this period.

Food vouchers, for £15 a week, will be made available to those children in England who are currently eligible for the scheme. The scheme will cost about £120m, and will lapse for six weeks in what has been called a “Covid Summer Food Fund”.

Free school meals will be provided to around 1.3 million children during the summer holidays, in a U-turn by the government sparked by a campaign from Marcus Rashford.

Prime Minister Boris Johnson’s spokesman said he “understands children and parents face unprecedented situations” during the coronavirus outbreak.

The spokesman added Mr Johnson welcomed Rashford’s “contribution to the debate around poverty and respects he’s been using his profile as a leading sportsman to highlight important issues”.

As a striker with a killer instinct in front of goal, Marcus Rashford is used to beating defences.

And he’s cut straight through a nervous defensive wall of Conservative ministers – leaving them wrong-footed and facing an embarrassing own goal.

The Department for Education had initially said it would not extend the voucher scheme despite an emotional letter to MPs written by Rashford, in which he said “the system isn’t built for families like mine to succeed”.

But the government has changed tact after Manchester United striker Rashford kept up his campaign. Responding to the news, the 22-year-old tweeted: “I don’t even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.”

Rashford’s letter to MPs was retweeted more than 140,000 times on Twitter.

After initial pushback, he kept up the pressure for a second day – sparking a tetchy exchange with Work and Pensions Secretary Therese Coffey on the social media site.

In an open letter to MPs posted on Monday, the Manchester United forward drew on his own experience of relying on free school meals and food banks growing up.

I don’t even know what to say.
Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.
— Marcus Rashford (@MarcusRashford)
June 16, 2020

The footballer had asked others to think about struggling parents who have had their “water turned off” during the coronavirus lockdown, and whose children have gone hungry.

Rashford’s Manchester United team face Tottenham Hotspur tommorow in what will be their first competitive game in three-months.