Zayn Malik calls on PM Rishi Sunak to extend free school meals amid cost-of-living crisis: ‘I personally experienced the stigma surrounding food insecurity’

The letter was supported by The Food Foundation (Picture: PA|Getty Images)

Zayn Malik has urged Rishi Sunak to ‘give all children living in poverty’ a free school meal amid the cost-of-living crisis.

The former One Direction singer, 29, wrote a letter outlining how the Prime Minister should use his November budget to extend the eligibility threshold.

He wanted the free meals to become available to young people from families on Universal Credit.

An ambassador for the Food Foundation and strong supporter of its Feed The Future campaign, Zayn relied on free school lunches himself while growing up in Bradford.

In his plea to the PM, he wrote: ‘These children are suffering from lack of concentration, some even resorting to stealing food from school canteens because they are so hungry but can’t afford to buy lunch.

‘They are also feeling shame which is directly impacting their physical and mental health.

Zayn Malik wrote a plea to the new PM over lack of free school meals (Picture: PA)

The singer revealed he relied on school dinners while growing up in Bradford (Picture: Raymond Hall/GC Images)

‘I know what that shame feels like, I have seen it first-hand, as growing up in Bradford, I relied on free school meals. I personally experienced the stigma surrounding food insecurity.’

Continuing on, he expressed his hopes to reduce the prejudice surrounding the free meal scheme: ‘My hope is that in writing this letter we can all ensure that no child ever has to experience this hunger and stigma again as my experience is not unique; it is a struggle that many children in England are sadly going through right now.’

According to the Food Foundation, around 800,000 children in England are living in poverty but don’t qualify to eat for free at school.

Zayn is a father himself and shares a child with model Gigi Hadid (Picture: Raymond Hall/GC Images)

The Dusk Till Dawn hitmaker emphasised that many parents are ‘already doing everything they can’ and that Government support is ‘desperately needed’.

Addressing the recently elected leader he added: ‘As Prime Minister, you have the power to change this.

‘Please act in good conscience and commit in your Budget on 17th November to giving all children living in poverty a free school meal.

‘Children going hungry is not inevitable and should not come down to a political issue or ideology.’

Zayn is the latest addition to a list of famous faces that are supporting campaigns to get wider access to free school meals, joining celebrity chef Jamie Oliver and England football star Marcus Rashford.

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