The UK government needs to do something proactive about the state of health of the kids of this nation. This is a start.

Honestly how much is a piece of toast and jam. Something is better than nothing. How about we take back the money we use for MP’s meals.

Esther only just realising parents are going without food to feed their children.

We used to get free milk at school ...no one had this dumb argument about parental duty of care ..I wish they'd do research before diving into social affairs with one kid amongst them ...that woman hasn't got a clue about raring kids she'd be a hard mother with a funless home

It's a good way to get kids all together and teaching them about healthy food etc.

Just dont give it a Tory donor as a contract

I don't have kids and don't want to but why us this so controversial. Breakfast clubs and expand free school meals. I'm tired of blaming the poor when our whole government is about making the poor poorer. But we can uncap bankers bonuses . Our wealthy PM pays lower rate of tax then ordinary workers. Also as a kid who grew up in poverty I was on free school meals, tickets etc. No kud should have to learn about inequality so young. If we can afford the Royal Family,House of Lords, subsiding MPs food and drink and pensions for a new ex PM every year then we should be feeding hungry children. Seriously how do some people sleep at night.

Three none parents but some have children that are collected from the time breakfast club. Free school meals for kids all of them would be life changing for a lot of kids who's parents working and putting their self first. Children are our future and shouldn't be a debate.

Feeding children should never be up for discussion. Just do it, we can well afford it.

Yes yes yes!

Parents need to feed their children just like they need to potty train them and if they can't look after them, they shouldn't have them. Children are a privilege not a human right.

Can I ask why that woman has been brought in? She hasn't got a clue. Wonders if food is going to be nutritious? Like they are going to feed kids Red Bull & Pork Scratchings? Also don't think she's aware families are hungry, parents do without food - the parents will probably do one meal a day & the whole breakfast thing is not done, kids just think it's the done thing. My friend is a teacher, in an area where the people are poor. Kids in shoes that don't fit with feet blistered. No coats in Winter. Falling asleep in class because they are tired due to no mattresses. Believe me that is what it's like. She makes a full loaf of sandwiches to school everyday. She's not allowed to offer things like food. So it's her lunch, the sandwiches go on a plate while she say's she is full up & needs to speak to the teacher in the next classroom. When she comes back all the sandwiches are gone & it is never mentioned. She never got into teaching for that. My friend is dismayed, upset & the fun of lesson prep is draining away from her. Difficult to teach hungry kids. Giving parents lessons how to cook might work for some - but some parents haven't a clue how to run a home. Don't blame the kids please. Breaks my heart that this needs to be debated.

Interesting perspectives shared by the panel and callers

Who will oversee this, my concern is that it could become a post code lottery, so depending on where you live, what will the meal be like. Portion size varies on a child’s needs and appetite that they regularly have. If a child has dislikes, how is the school going to fund and accommodate these variations. Let alone deal with allergies. Has this been actually thought through?

Wealthy people could donate

The bloke from Kent is a typical tory voter. No idea about poverty, or just doesn't care. I'm alright jack pull the ladder up!

This will remove one simple thing.... early division in kids too

There's something of a catch22 with childcare and the school day. As Michael points out the school day was designed around stay at home parents... but also around the child's natural constitution and energy level... by 3.00 the children are lessoned out - and they need to decompress and spend time playing or with a parent. We either need to change working hours to allow for parenting, alter attitudes to work so that people can work from home and take a short break to collect their children or we need to provide staff to look after our children on a state funded level.

Parent's job to feed their kids not our tax payers money

Storm is super hot!😍

School lunches are awful so let’s define what they say will be nutritious

Parents job

So we are okay with feeding people who have done heinous crimes and end up in prison but need to debate whether or not children should go hungry. Britain is not great anymore.

Really hope they can stop this nonsense of ‘free’…….nothing is free, the monies has to come from somewhere

Honestly I could never went to a breakfast Club knowing my parents didn't eat when I was a child. I think these days children are seeing their family going without and them as a family going without. I think if the government wants to give free breakfast give vouchers for all parent to get toast jam or some kind of breakfast they etc to have breakfast together at home.

If they can't afford to have them they should not have so many... Should be a cap on our many people have. Be no problem then..

Stupid argument. So parents should see into the future now! Mortgages and food bills double, energy bills treble. Why do they think people are struggling

Storm, 'budgets are tight, where are we getting the money from?'. Starve a child. Good thinking Storm.........

No not free paid for by the tax payer

Free school breakfast… free cavities.

I'm with Christopher from Kent, except for the part about spending money on "educating" parents. In fact the situation is more in his favour than he seems to realise. It's not just that a bag of porridge is £1, it's if you genuinely are struggling for food and you have a child there are a plethora of food banks to use. I am a single, childless male, the type that gets the least help from food banks, and at the drop of a hat, if I were struggling again, I know loads of places I can get extraordinary amount of all kinds of cereals with UHT milk, and other meals for free. At a nearby church they will feed me donuts till I puke on a Sunday, soup etc on a Saturday. Hot meals across town every night, and other support groups where I can take free frozen meals home with me, and I don't even have child benefit / dependents to boost my claim. There is no excuse for a child to be involuntarily unfed before school. That is child abuse, and the taxpayer is not responsible for it. If you want responsibility to be passed on to the taxpayer, child services need to be involved, the parents locked up and the child to be taken in to care, because I bet they are either lying or are spending money on recreational drugs or just straight up negligent. There is every argument to be made for a crackdown on child neglect. Also, this is nothing but an excuse for their assault on responsible middle class parents trying to send their kids to private school. A false dichotomy between the VAT raid on parents, and feeding poorer kids. There are alternatives. I wouldn't even mind that much if the money came from a source they were honest about, but more importantly, wouldn't be used to scam the taxpayer. How much private profit is going to be made from this I wonder? How about this... free school meals, on the condition that child services launch a full child neglect investigation into the parents of any child using the service?

When a 14yr old has a kid, how they meant to support them, and yet we keep acting like it's normal, I left school with no grades, took a apprenticeship for £3 ph earning £90 a week and £25 went kn bus fair, name on person willing to do that nowadays, now I life a good life, earn a good wage which supports my drug habit while having pets and bills to pay, stop acting like it's no people choice that lead them to the places there at