Marcus Rashford understands what the government does not | Letters

Ruth Lister and Austen Lynch on how the government is failing children, and Les Bright on why minsters will learn the hard way that pride comes before a fall

The government’s first line of defence against Marcus Rashford’s campaign, which has inspired so many fellow citizens (Councils back Rashford and pledge to provide school meals over holidays, 23 October), has been that they’ve provided extra (temporary) social security support as the best way to prevent holiday hunger. Yet there has been no extra support specifically for children; the refusal to suspend the benefit cap has deprived many families of some or all of the extra £20 on universal credit, and the two-child limit means some children are not now covered by it. Research shows low-income families with children are really struggling. Rashford, through listening to them and drawing on his own childhood experience, understands this. The government, responsible for addressing poverty, clearly does not.
Ruth Lister
Labour, House of Lords

• Article 24 of the UN convention on the rights of the child states that governments must provide healthcare, clean water and nutritious food. Article 27 states: “Every child has the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical and social needs.”

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from Children | The Guardian https://ift.tt/37QjD86