Political opinion: Full stomachs, fair start - Alex Ballinger MP backs Labour’s plan to tackle child hunger in Halesowen
For too many families in Halesowen, the school lunch queue has become a silent dividing line — between children who eat and those who go without. That line is about to disappear. Labour MP Alex Ballinger has hailed a landmark announcement by the Government that will extend free school meals to all children in households receiving Universal Credit, describing the move as “a game-changer for families right across Halesowen.”
From September 2026, every child in pre-school, school or college with a parent on Universal Credit will be entitled to a free, nutritious meal every day — saving families around £500 a year and lifting an estimated 100,000 children across the country out of poverty altogether.
Ballinger, a former Royal Marine and now the Labour MP for Halesowen, said he sees the impact of child poverty every week in casework and school visits. And he knows this move will make a real difference.
“I speak to teachers across Halesowen who see the impact of hunger in the classroom — children struggling to concentrate, to behave, to learn. This policy doesn’t just feed children — it lifts them up,” he said. “It gives them a better shot at a brighter future. It puts dignity and decency back into government.”
The stain of child poverty”
Labour’s policy, part of its Plan for Change, marks the biggest expansion of free school meals in a generation. It will see over half a million extra children brought into the scheme, on top of the 3 million already receiving meals daily. In Halesowen alone, this could mean thousands of additional children receiving support — including toddlers in pre-school and sixth formers in college settings.
Nationally, the move is backed by a wider programme to address child poverty, with £13 million being invested in food charities to prevent fresh produce from going to waste, and revised School Food Standards in the pipeline to ensure meals meet nutritional needs.
Prime Minister Keir Starmer said: “Feeding more children every day, for free, is one of the biggest interventions we can make to put more money in parents’ pockets, tackle the stain of poverty, and set children up to learn.”
Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall added: “Poverty robs children of opportunities and damages their future prospects. By expanding Free School Meals to all families on Universal Credit, we’re ending the impossible choice thousands of our hardest grafting families must make between paying bills and feeding their children.”
A lifeline for working families
The change addresses a long-standing gap in provision. Since 2018, free school meals have only been available to children in households with an income below £7,400. That left out hundreds of thousands of families struggling on low incomes but falling just above the threshold.
Under Labour’s new policy, that cap is scrapped. Every family receiving Universal Credit — regardless of precise earnings — will be eligible.
Ballinger says it’s a victory for fairness, and for working parents who are just trying to give their children the best.
“This is for every hard-working mum and dad in Halesowen —who do a fair day’s work for a fair day’s pay and still worry whether they can cover the next packed lunch,” he said. “They deserve better. Their kids deserve better. And now, they’re getting it.”
More still to come
While the announcement has been widely welcomed, Ballinger is clear: this is just one step.
Labour is already rolling out free breakfast clubs — with 750 already operating and more on the way, including one at a local Halesowen school. A new Children’s Wellbeing and Schools Bill is also going through Parliament to cap branded uniform costs, saving families up to £50 per child, while Labour’s childcare expansion will deliver 30 hours of free childcare for working parents, saving families as much as £7,500 per year.
A full Child Poverty Strategy is due to be unveiled later this year — a ten-year blueprint to tackle the root causes of inequality and hardship across the UK.
“Working families across Halesowen are doing everything they can to give their children the best start in life,” said Ballinger. “At last, they have a government on their side. This is what real change looks like — practical, meaningful support for the people who need it most.”
A full stomach. A fair shot. A future.
In classrooms across Halesowen, the change can’t come soon enough.
For some children, it means no longer going hungry after lunchtime. For some families, it’s one less bill. But for many — it’s a turning point.
As Ballinger puts it: “It’s not just policy. It’s hope. It’s dignity. It’s a better start in life.”