Conservatives to scrap universal free school meals

The party plans to use some of the money raised by the move to fund an extra £4bn of education spending by 2022.

Currently, all children in the first three years of school receive a free lunch. The scheme was introduced in September 2014. Department for Education figures show that 1.9m children in English state-funded primary schools were eligible as of January 2016.

By scrapping the entitlement, the Conservatives aim to raise £650m. 

Free school meals was a flagship policy for the Liberal Democrats during the coalition 2010 to 2015 coalition government.

But the Conservative manifesto published today states that the party does not believe that giving school lunches to all children free of charge for the first three years of primary school, regardless of the income of their parents, is a sensible use of public money.

"There is now good evidence that school breakfasts are at least as effective in helping children to make progress in school," the manifesto states. 

"So under a new Conservative government, schools in England will offer a free school breakfast to every child in every year of primary school, while children from low-income families will continue to receive free school lunches throughout their years in primary and secondary education.

"The savings made from this change will be added to the core schools budget, meaning that every penny saved will go towards children's education."