British Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson expressed frustration over the overshadowing of important policies by the noise surrounding Labour leadership speculation and the Peter Mandelson scandal. Phillipson highlighted the milestone achievement of serving 10 million free breakfasts to children in new clubs across England, aimed at easing living costs and morning childcare stress for parents.
Despite this progress, the Education Secretary raised concerns about the divided Labour Party, with Wes Streeting and Andy Burnham competing to succeed Keir Starmer. Phillipson emphasized the government’s efforts to uplift children out of poverty through measures like ending the two-child limit and expanding free school meals to families on Universal Credit.
In response to Streeting’s plan to revive Sure Start centres, Phillipson expressed disappointment, citing the ongoing success of Best Start Family Hubs. She also criticized Reform UK’s stance on tax breaks for private schools while opposing free breakfast clubs, emphasizing the government’s role in supporting families during challenging times.
The government’s commitment to providing free breakfast clubs in all state primary schools by 2029 has already benefited over 300,000 children across 1,250 clubs, offering significant savings for families. Phillipson is set to update schools on the rollout progress over the next two years in a letter to all schools in England.
Additionally, Rachel Reeves unveiled the Great British Summer Saving scheme, which includes VAT cuts on children’s meals and free bus travel for children aged five to 15 in August.