Tom Gordon

SCOTTISH Labour is to promise pupils year-round free school meals.

Despite education and council funding being devolved matters, the party will put the 365-day, £256m promise at the heart of its manifesto launch in Glasgow today.

The reform would benefit up to 700,000 primary and secondary pupils, around a quarter of whom already live in poverty.

School meals are currently provided free to P1 to P3 pupils in term time, although North Lanarkshire Council has pioneered an all-year round service for the poorest families.

Labour estimate it would cost £190m to extend free meals to all pupils in term time based on an 80 per cent take up rate, and a further £41m to extend it to the poorest families for the rest of the year based on a take-up rate of 10%.

Another £25m would be invested in infrastructure and services to deliver the policy.

Scottish Labour leader Richard Leonard said: “It cannot be right that in the fifth biggest economy in the world, one in every four children in Scotland is living in poverty.

“After a decade of Tory austerity and SNP complacency, it is time for real and radical change.

“For too long, many kids from the most impoverished families have gone to school hungry and been automatically disadvantaged simply due to their family’s economic circumstances.

“But it’s not enough to only provide free school meals to those on low incomes. We need a plan that tackles the stigma that can prevent some children accessing free meals and the barriers that we know eligibility and registration create.

“That is why I am proud to announce today that a UK Labour government will provide the funds for a free meal for every child 365 days a year, regardless of their social and economic backgrounds.

“Children should not be put in a position where they are left behind through no fault of their own and through no fault of their family. Scottish Labour will end the scourge of child poverty once and for all.”

Shona Haslam, Scottish Tory candidate for the three-way SNP-held marginal of Lanark and Hamilton East, said: “Thanks to Jeremy Corbyn’s total lack of leadership, Labour voters in Scotland are leaving the party hand over fist.

“Mr Corbyn has given up on Scotland, given up on the Union and now thousands of loyal Labour supporters in Scotland are giving up on him.”

“That’s why many now know that to stop Nicola Sturgeon, stop indyref2, and give low paid workers a tax break, the only choice at this election is to back Scottish Conservative on December 12th.”