Marcus Rashford backs South Shields MP as she prepares to take school breakfast campaign back to Parliament

Emma Lewell-Buck’s School Breakfast Bill, which would guarantee every pupil in England’s most deprived schools access to a morning meal, has attracted cross-party and celebrity backing.

The policy, which could be funded by a tax on fizzy drinks, aims to end the current ‘postcode lottery’ of provision.

The South Shields MP will present the second reading of the bill in the House of Commons in the coming weeks.

“I think because of the involvement of the likes of Cat Stevens and Marcus Rashford and also some quite high profile Tories, and the situation with the pandemic and the mess the Government got itself in over free school meals, it has become really political,” the Labour MP said.

“I don’t think any of them want to have that fallout again.

“So it is looking quite positive and I’m hearing good noises, but you never know with these things.”

The School Breakfast Bill had its first reading in Parliament on October 13, with its second scheduled for March 5, and at least eight more stages to complete before it can be made law.

Ms Lewell-Buck was speaking at a meeting of South Tyneside Council’s People Select Committee on January 12.

Almost 9,000 schools are believed to meet the ‘significant need’ requirement which would allow them to access support offered under the bill’s terms.

If just half the pupils at those schools accessed the provision, it could provide breakfasts for about 1.8 million youngsters.

Estimates for the costs of such a scheme vary from £88.7million – £229.3million, depending on the way in which funding is allocated.

A further £6.7million is suggested to cover the costs of breakfasts for almost half a million children at risk of hunger but who do not attend a school which meets the criteria.

It has been suggested funding for the programme could come from the Soft Drinks Industry Levy, or unspent cash from the Department for Education’s (DfE) Free School Meals scheme.

Lewell-Buck told the committee she hoped her bill would end the current ‘piecemeal provision’ of school breakfast schemes.

“We would have permanent funding in place for every child that needs a school breakfast, across the board,” she said.

She added: “It would remove the postcode lottery element and enshrine in legislation that we never get in this mess again, of kids turning up to school going hungry.”

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