FREE lunches for schoolchildren should be provided over the summer holidays to ensure that they do not go hungry as a result of coronavirus’s economic effects, Labour has said.

Nearly 1.3 million pupils in England are eligible for free meals, usually provided at school during term time.

As schools have been closed during the pandemic, a supermarket voucher scheme has been established instead, giving £15 a week per child to provide food support to children at home. Following public pressure, this was extended to cover the May half-term break.