Former One Direction star Zayn Malik writes to PM over free school meals

Zayn Malik has called connected Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to "give each children surviving successful poverty" a escaped schoolhouse repast amid the cost-of-living crisis.

In a letter, the erstwhile One Direction prima says helium relied connected escaped schoolhouse lunches erstwhile increasing up successful Bradford.

He adds helium "personally experienced stigma astir nutrient insecurity".

He is backing a Food Foundation run with the foundation estimating 800,000 children successful England unrecorded successful poorness but bash not suffice for meals.

Although Malik is not an ambassador for the charity, helium felt compelled to constitute to the premier curate and to stock his ain experiences.

He wrote: "These children are suffering from deficiency of concentration, immoderate adjacent resorting to stealing nutrient from schoolhouse canteens due to the fact that they are truthful bare but can't spend to bargain lunch.

"They are besides feeling shame which is straight impacting their carnal and intelligence health.

"I cognize what that shame feels like, I person seen it first-hand, arsenic increasing up successful Bradford, I relied connected escaped schoolhouse meals."

He hopes his missive convinces the authorities to see a escaped schoolhouse repast for each children surviving successful poorness arsenic portion of the Autumn statement.

The authorities has antecedently said it has already expanded entree to escaped schoolhouse meals much than immoderate different successful caller decades.

It has warned that the Feed the Future run has under-estimated the outgo of expanding the scheme.

Ministers person said that, during word time, the authorities "provides much than 1.6 cardinal escaped schoolhouse meals, providing pupils from the lowest-income families with a free, nutritious lunchtime meal".

About 1.9 cardinal children successful England are eligible for escaped schoolhouse meals, the authorities says, 22.5% of each pupils.

All infant-school pupils are eligible but children successful Year 3 and supra indispensable unrecorded successful a household receiving income-related benefits, with an yearly income - aft taxation and not including payment payments - nary higher than £7,400.

About 40% of radical who assertion cosmopolitan recognition already person jobs and whitethorn gain supra this threshold.

In Northern Ireland, the threshold is £14,000.

Scotland and Wales person precocious committed to offering escaped schoolhouse meals to each superior pupils.