Keir Starmer makes WEAK defence of Budget during school visit

Well we're focusing on free school meals today and the rollout of free school meals to all families on universal credit. So that's a big step forward. It'll take, it'll affect probably about 500,000 children and take 100,000 children out of poverty and here in Peterborough there are 20,000 children in poverty and we need to drive child poverty absolutely down. So this is a big step forward. Really important for two reasons really. One is the school meal may for some children be the best or only meal that they have in the day. Secondly we know that children who have proper decent food learn better. So as I said to the supervisors here, the dinner supervisors, who have been doing this for a long time, they've seen the children come through. They know that they're not only giving them good food day on day on day but also giving them an opportunity to learn better and therefore give them that chance for the future. So for both of those reasons it's hugely important. Well that's why we focus it on those families on universal credit and that system works. We know that system works and that means it's focused on those that need it most. But what we've seen under the last government was child poverty numbers went up by 900,000. It's really shocking. I'm absolutely determined to drive those numbers down. So free school meals are really important. Free breakfast clubs we were rolling out last week. Child care, free child care from nine months to four years. That's a game changer for children because I'm sick to death frankly of stories of children coming to school aged four into reception year. Some of them quite good at reading, others virtually in nappies. That bakes in inequality for life so we can deal with that. But for parents and carers all work also means they can get off back to work if they want and earn some extra money. Well firstly let me deal with the sweetener. This is not sweetener. This is about the basics of ensuring that children have the best chance in life. That is really important personal motivation for me because I don't want to see any children held back because governments are indifferent to child poverty. I'm not indifferent to child poverty. I'm absolutely determined to drive it down. Obviously the budget will be in a few days now. We'll set out our plans but you asked me about the budget so the principles will be firstly to further protect our public services particularly the NHS. Secondly to get our debt down and manage your power climates and third to bear down on the cost of living because across the country particularly in this region if you ask people so many people what's their number one concern they'll say it's the cost of living it's it's about being able to make ends meet and when I was growing up we couldn't always pay our bills. I know what it feels like to be around the kitchen table worrying about that so that's a political mission of mine. It's also a personal mission of mine. Well I'll set out the details on Wednesday of the budget but it will be a Labour budget with Labour values. It will be absolutely focused on fairness and that'll be at the heart of it but the three things that matter above all else the principles on which we're building the budget are protecting our public services, our NHS, put record investment in and that means that waiting lists are coming down. That is a good thing but we need to do more. We need to get our debt down as a country and we absolutely need to act on the cost of living. As you saw yesterday we announced freezing train and rail fares. That's the first time that's been done for 30 years. That'll make a massive difference to people. We've got interest rates five cuts in a row. The mortgage makes a big difference and of course the stuff we're doing today on free school meals. Well look I do understand the frustrations. We did put a record amount into farming in the last budget and that's important and the right thing to do. We're bearing down in particular on the profit, year-on-year profit because that's at the heart of the problem and we've got a road map that we've set out for many years to come and Manette Batters who used to be the president of the NFU has been working with us on profitability on the year-on-year income of farmers and so I do want to make sure that we can put that support in place. Well this budget is going to be a budget that is all about fairness, about protecting public services, bearing down on debt and dealing with the cost of living. I think that they are the issues uppermost in minds of people, families and communities across the country and so only a few days to go we can set out our plans in full. So that's all about the future? I do. Do you have a dog? I'm scared. This is my favourite because I've got a dog as well and my dog behaves just like Brunel does. Oh yesterday? Me playing with him. So we never got a dog. It was yesterday. I think on my birthday some of my family didn't give me a dog. One guy? My son is married to a woman. Are you hungry? Right here we go. Right Bridget you should eat later. It's got a few challenges. Do you want to have your plate? Are you feeling hungry? Are you doing Parliament Week this week? Ah okay. Right, oh I didn't give you any garlic bread. Here we go, thank you. Right Bridget that's for you. Garlic bread? Oh look at that Bridget are you feeling hungry? We've got some salad coming as well. Any more sauce? Oh we're not. Anybody want any salad? You don't want salad? What's the favourite bit of salad? Is this the best one of the week? Do you like lasagna? Vegetarian or vegan? Anybody like the vegetarian lasagna? I'm a vegetarian so I don't eat. We always have. What about? Yeah.