Like most people, my politics were shaped by my upbringing. I grew up in the 1980s and 1990s under Margaret Thatcher and John Major’s governments. I saw first hand the impact of underinvestment in our country’s state schools.
My sixth form was housed in a couple of prefab huts in the playground. The library, meant to be a sanctuary of learning, was turned into a classroom simply because there were more students than space.
I felt then, as I do now, that successive Conservative governments did not care about schools like mine, communities like mine, or the kids I grew up with.
That sense of injustice is why I joined the Labour Party. I wanted to do something about it. I want to tackle some of the burning injustices within our society. I wanted to give every child, whatever their background, the same opportunities to thrive.
It is the same motivation that drives me today as chancellor of the Exchequer. It’s why, in my first Budget, I ended the tax loophole which exempts private schools from VAT and business rates so we could put more money into our state schools. It’s why, in my first Budget, I put the money aside to begin rolling out free breakfast clubs in every primary school to put more pounds in parents’ pockets and to give children the best start in life. And it is why we have announced that from next year, we are giving every child with a parent in receipt of universal credit free school meals.
These are our choices. They are Labour’s choices. And they are right choices. It is about breaking down barriers to opportunity, driving better behaviour, attainment and wellbeing in our schools. It’s about putting more money – nearly £500 a year – back into the pockets of working parents every year. And it is about helping those who need it the most, so every child has the best start in life.
Because of the decision this Labour government has taken, 100,000 children will be lifted out of poverty entirely and hundreds of thousands more will be given the support they need to learn, grow and thrive. Access to healthy food during the school day is not a luxury, but a prerequisite for success in school and in life.
It is just one part in our Plan for Change. Alongside the expansion of free school meals, we are investing more than £13m in food charities across England to direct surplus fresh produce from British farms to the plates of those who need it, including schoolchildren.
We are also revising School Food Standards, working with industry experts to ensure that every meal served in our schools is nutritious and of high quality. We are rolling out free breakfast clubs, expanding funded childcare to 30 hours a week for working parents, and capping the number of branded school uniform items to reduce costs for families.
And from April 2026 until the end of parliament, millions of households will see a permanent, yearly, above-inflation boost to their universal credit standard allowance.
Britain’s renewal is about people. It is about the next generation. By investing in our children, we are investing in the future of our country, making sure that every young person can fulfil their potential, and that Britain can thrive. This is the promise of change. This is the promise we are delivering.
