Tuesday 11 October 2022 02:25 PM Therese Coffey hits back at Jamie Oliver over free school meals trends now
Therese Coffey today slapped back at Jamie Oliver after he called for free school meals to be extended to all households that receive Universal Credit.
The celebrity chef and campaigner declared in an interview that he wanted around 800,000 more children to get the subsidies, on top of the 1.9million currently eligible.
He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme it would be an 'injection of kindness' that could save the Tories, as well as driving up nutrition.
But the deputy PM gave the idea short shrift this morning, pointing out that people earning £40,000 can receive UC and taxpayers would be 'surprised' if their children were entitled to free school meals.
Currently, the children of parents who are on UC and have an annual income of no more than £7,400, or are on another benefit such as jobseeker's allowance, are eligible for free school meals.
Oliver told BBC Radio 4's Today: 'If you earn over £7,400, you won't get that free school lunch. But I think we'd all agree that there's a massive gap between the means test for free school lunches as it stands and Universal Credit.
'I think what the Government are saying is Universal Credit tethers off and can go up to sort of £30,000 to £40,000, but really we're talking about the bulk of them being around £14,000 per household.'
Asked if he wanted the threshold to be met, he replied: 'Well, now more than ever... if they were to open the threshold of who would be allowed to have a free school lunch, that would also inject funds into the system that would also really help to guarantee a much better service across 26,000 schools in the country.'
However, Miss Coffey said: 'I know this has been suggested in the past… I am aware that people could be earning over £40,000 and still be on Universal Credit.
'I think it is important support is targeted. I am not aware of any further changes that are being proposed to what happens today.
Asked if that means she is against the extension, she said: 'It is a matter for the Secretary of State for Education, who has responsibility for this policy area.
'I am just flagging that people in UC given it is a dynamic in-work and out-of-work benefit can actually be earning a considerable amount of money, which I think other taxpayers may be surprised to learn that someone on £35,000 to £40,000 would all of a sudden become eligible for free school meals.'
Jamie Oliver calls for free school meals to be extended to all households that receive Universal Credit on BBC Radio 4 today
Deputy Prime Minister Therese Coffey arrives at Downing Street this morning after appearing on the BBC
The chef said Liz Truss, seen at No10, will soon be shown the door. He said: 'She will be a ship that passes in the night'
Health Secretary Therese Coffey speaks to LBC this morning
Health Secretary Therese Coffey today claimed the rule change to outlaw smoking in cars with children was probably not 'the right thing to be doing'.
Miss Coffey made the controversial statement as it was revealed she plans to U-turn on the Government's pledge to unveil an action plan to tackle tobacco use.
The cigar-puffing Liz Truss ally said she voted against the law change in 2015 because she didn't believe in telling parents what to do.
She admitted that she did not know whether the law change actually was implemented at the time.
Asked by LBC's Nick Ferrari why she voted against the rule change, she said: 'Oh probably because I didn't think it was the right thing to be doing, to be telling parents how to handle the situation.'
Pressed on whether she thinks it is right to smoke with children in the back, Miss Coffey said she couldn't recall whether the law changed but thinks it 'probably did'.
She added: 'I'm not getting into necessarily prescriptive... we want a positive prevention programme in the future.'
Advertisement
Oliver said he has 'no faith' in the Prime Minister and predicted that she will soon lose her job – in yet another intervention in politics by the outspoken TV chef, who denied being part of the 'anti-growth coalition'.
He said: 'I have no faith [in Liz Truss] – we've been tracking her in her views for six, seven years, she's not going to change. She will be a ship that passes in the night. I'm actually quite calm about the whole thing'.
Hinting that he believes the Tories will be voted out at the next election, in part for not 'putting children first', the millionaire chef suggested the Conservatives were turning nasty.
He said: 'I think kindness has to be injected into this party if they have any chance - and I don't know if they have got it in them.' He added: 'I've been through six prime ministers and 13 education secretaries. None of them have taken seriously the issue of child health.'
He also claimed
