LISA NANDY - Put our vulnerable children first

The campaign by Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford (pictured) was inspirational and emotive, and the decision to continue the scheme over the summer break will directly benefit 1.3 million children.

Rashford’s talent and hard work have made him an international icon, but it is his refusal to forget where he came from and the experiences he had growing up, and his determination to use his platform to bring about real change in society that mark him out as role model.

But we shouldn’t have to rely on public figures to shame this government into action.

How did we find ourselves in the position last week where we were debating whether we were willing to allow children to go hungry over the school holidays?

The government’s own report into social mobility shows that over 600,000 children have been pushed into poverty since 2012, with the total number of children in poverty expected to rise above five million within the next two years.

This is the result of an approach to government that has stripped support away from children over the last decade.

I worked with some of the most vulnerable children in the country before I became the MP for Wigan 10 years ago. I saw every day how much harder it is for children growing up in poverty to do well at school and go on to make a good life for themselves.

But this crisis has highlighted just how far we still have to go.

I have spoken with school staff who have stepped in to support some of the most vulnerable families - stocking the cupboards, putting money in the gas or electricity meter and helping to make ends meet.

This is an intolerable situation in one of the richest countries in the world.

It is vital that the economic fallout from the Covid-19 crisis isn’t used as an excuse to ignore the most vulnerable children in this country; it is more important than ever to ensure that the current generation of children, already at a disadvantage from having missed months of school, are given the extra support they need.

As lockdown measures are eased, it will not be good enough to go back to normal.

We must create a new normal and build a better country, based on our shared values.

The children that Marcus Rashford campaigned for have been last up to now and they’ve been invisible.

Let’s take this opportunity to change that and make sure they come first.