Labour supports Marcus Rashford in calling on government to provide children with free school meals this summer

Scheme was introduced as schools closed during lockdown in March, to ensure vulnerable children did not go hungry

Marcus Rashford recently received a award for his altruism (PA)

Labour is ramping up calls for ministers to provide free school meals for hundreds of thousands of children this summer as a campaign by the premiership footballer Marcus Rashford gathers pace.

Boris Johnson on Monday rejected a plea for action from the Manchester United and England Striker.

Rashford later insisted he would not give up his call for the government to perform a U-turn on its decision not to extend its free school meals voucher system for low income families over the summer holidays.

The scheme was introduced as schools closed during lockdown in March, to ensure vulnerable children did not go hungry.

It carried on over the Easter holidays, but ministers say it will end when the school year ends this summer.

A Department for Education spokesman said: "Free school meals are ordinarily term time only, and the national voucher scheme will not run during the summer holidays."

Nearly 1.3 million children in England are eligible for free school meals.

Labour will today use an opposition day debate in parliament to call on ministers to directly fund free school meals over the summer “to ensure a holiday without hunger”.

Shadow Education Secretary Rebecca Long Bailey will say: “Any government that is willing to let the poorest children in the country go hungry needs to take a long hard look at its priorities.

“Shamefully, children go hungry every year, but this summer will be especially difficult for many families as job losses and reduced incomes hit household budgets.”