Liberal Democrats Propose Free School Meals for All Primary School Children

The Liberal Democrats have announced a manifesto commitment to provide free school meals for all primary school children, with funding proposed from a tax on share buybacks by FTSE 100 listed corporations. The party aims to start by helping the 900,000 children living in poverty who do not currently receive free meals.

Liberal Democrats Propose Free School Meals for All Primary School Children

The Liberal Democrats have pledged to provide free school meals to all primary school children in their latest manifesto. They plan to fund this initiative through a 4% tax on share buybacks by FTSE 100 listed corporations. The party aims to start by immediately extending the scheme to provide meals to the 900,000 children living in poverty who currently miss out.

Liberal Democrat leader Sir Ed Davey has described this as “the most ambitious plan for free school meals of any party.” At present, only children in reception, year 1, and year 2 receive free school meals, with further eligibility based on family income from year 3 onwards.

According to the Liberal Democrats, the share buyback tax, inspired by a similar measure introduced by President Joe Biden in the US, could raise approximately £1.4 billion annually. This would potentially allow the extension of free school meals to all primary school children once public finances stabilize. The party's plan targets large corporations, including oil and gas giants and major banks, as significant sources of this tax revenue.