Plans to axe free lunches for infant school children from better off families in England have been scrapped. Schools minister Nick Gibb said the government would "retain the existing provision", having listened "very carefully" to the views of parents.
The Tory manifesto proposed restricting free lunches to infants from poorer homes - with free breakfasts for all primary school pupils funded instead. It was intended to save £650m a year - but was left out of the Queen's Speech.
Plans to limit their availability again to low-income families had proved controversial, with some parents complaining the offer of a free breakfast was not directly comparable and was merely a cost-saving measure.
