A government minister has been accused of “demonising” families receiving free school meals vouchers, after tweeting that some people had used them to buy alcohol and non-food products.
Children’s minister Vicky Ford wrote on Twitter she was “saddened to hear of incidents of some parents using free school meals vouchers for alcohol and non-food products despite clear restrictions and also threatening supermarket staff”.
She added: “Am speaking to all supermarkets on what more can be done to protect staff and make sure kids get food.”
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The allegations highlighted by the minister appear to undermine what education secretary Gavin Willamson told MPs last month.
He said that “mechanisms were in place to ensure that vouchers are not used for things such as alcohol, cigarettes and/or gambling.”
It was not immediately clear where the claims Ms Ford referred to had originated, although some respondents pointed to a local newspaper story from June.
The word “saddened” trended on Twitter as many questioned the minister’s claim, among them several opposition MPs.
Shadow minister for mental health and A&E doctor Rosena Allin-Khan said: “Hundreds of thousands of children rely on food bank handouts and now the government want to demonise those receiving free school meals with exaggerated and unsourced stories. Have a heart!”
However, Conservative MP Ben Bradley expressed support for Ms Ford, tweeting: “Pleased to see government actively following up on this since I raised it in the Commons a few weeks ago…Hopefully, solutions can be found and we can support supermarket staff.”
A Department for Education spokesperson said: “We expect free school meal vouchers to be used on appropriate food and drink. The vast majority of families have been doing so and using this vital support to help feed their children while schools have been closed.
“We are speaking to supermarkets to ensure that they have the support they need to advise families using these vouchers.”
Ms Ford was contacted for comment.
