Why does this not surprise me ???

So making money out of children's misery is not beyond their capacity - scumbag 'nasty party' bastards !!!



Free meals firm at centre of outcry was run by Conservative party donor
Recently departed chairman of under-fire catering giant also urged voters to back Tories

Adam Forrest@adamtomforrest
15 minutes ago


A photo shows the food parcel received by one parent during lockdown
(Twitter/Roadside Mum)
The companies at the centre of the outcry over the “disgusting” free meals provided to struggling families while schools remain closed have links to the Conservatives, it has emerged.

Compass Group and its subsidiary Chartwells are under fire after football star and campaigner Marcus Rashford shared photos of Chartwells’ meagre parcels – saying they were “just not good enough”.

Electoral Commission records show Paul Walsh – chairman of Compass Group until he stepped down last month – has given more than £10,000 to the Tory party.

Mr Walsh, who had been at the helm of Compass since 2014, was a member of No 10’s business advisory group during the early years of David Cameron’s time as prime minister.

Reportedly a big game hunter, Mr Walsh also signed a joint letter of business leaders urging voters to back the Tories during the 2015 general election campaign.

Boris Johnson’s government has promised to urgently investigate the inadequate food parcels sent to parents, which education secretary Gavin Williamson admitted on Wednesday were “absolutely disgusting.”

However, ministers are facing fresh questions on the contracts awarded to Compass Group and Chartwells to provide the school meals.

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The food catering giant and its subsidiary have been awarded almost £350m in school meal catering contracts since 2016, according to analysts at Tussell. The public procurement experts said Compass and Chartwells remain the biggest providers of school meals in the UK.

Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer asked on Twitter: “Where is the money going? This needs sorting immediately so families don’t go hungry through lockdown.”

Chartwells and other catering contractors have been forced to adapt to the pandemic by providing food at home to families eligible for free school meals.

The packages shared by frustrated parents on Twitter have recently replaced the weekly £15 food vouchers given to low-income parents when lockdown first forced schools to close. Eligible families were given £30 in vouchers over the recent Christmas holidays.

After the latest incident, a Chartwells spokesperson said: “We have had time to investigate the picture circulated on Twitter. For clarity this shows five days of free school lunches (not 10 days) and the charge for food, packing and distribution was actually £10.50 and not £30 as suggested.

“However, in our efforts to provide thousands of food parcels a week at extremely short notice we are very sorry the quantity has fallen short in this instance.”

Children’s minister Vicky Ford said caterers must “urgently” improve the quality of the packages now being provided to low-income families. Ms Ford has said anyone experiencing problems should give details to the Department of Education (DfE) for investigation.

The DfE has also said its national voucher scheme, which offered stand-ins for cash to be used at supermarkets during the first coronavirus lockdown, would resume “shortly”.

The Independent has contacted Compass Group and Chartwells for more information on its school catering contracts with government.

 

And this shows what greedy, callous bastards they are !!!


‘Disgraceful’ free school meals were based on government’s own guidelines, Keir Starmer reveals at PMQs
5 minutes ago


(Independent)
Free schools condemned as “disgraceful” by Boris Johnson were based on the government’s own advice, Labour has revealed.

Meagre rations listing “one loaf of bread, two baked potatoes, a block of cheese, baked beans and three yoghurts” are recommended by the Department for Education, Keir Starmer said.

“He blames others, but this is on his watch,” the Labour leader told the prime minister.

 

Boris Johnson, Gavion Williams and Matt Hancock have been shamed into condemning the inadequacy of their school meals programme.


Boris Johnson news - live: PM commits to review of free school meals after Rashford call before facing Starmer
Follow the latest updates here

Liam James
2 minutes ago
33 comments

Boris Johnson faces Keir Starmer and other MPs at PMQs
Boris Johnson has commited to a review of the supply chain that led to families on free school meals receiving meagre hampers which did not meet the government’s guidlines nor reflect the amount of money allocated for their provision.

The prime minister assured footballer and campaigner Marcus Rashford a review would take place and said he was commited to correcting the issue in a phone call ahead of Prime Minister’s Questions, where he is facing off against Labour leader Sir Keir Starmer.

Earlier, the bosses of leading UK supermarkets wrote to Michael Gove warning food shortages in Northern Ireland will get worse as the current system becomes “unworkable” when a three-month "grace period" — allowing shops to phase in new customs checks — comes to an end.

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The latest news on Brexit, politics and beyond direct to your inbox every weekday
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‘Disgraceful’ free school meals were based on government’s own guidelines, Keir Starmer reveals at PMQs
Free schools condemned as “disgraceful” by Boris Johnson were based on the government’s own advice, Labour has revealed.

Meagre rations listing “one loaf of bread, two baked potatoes, a block of cheese, baked beans and three yoghurts” are recommended by the Department for Education, Keir Starmer said.

Our Deputy Political Editor Rob Merrick is following up on the Labour leader’s revelation:


‘Disgraceful’ free school meals were based on government’s own guidelines, Keir Starmer reveals at PMQs
Free schools condemned as “disgraceful” by Boris Johnson were based on the government’s own advice, Labour has revealed.

Liam James13 January 2021 12:35
13 minutes ago
Matt Hancock unable to say if he regrets voting against free school meals after now welcoming them
The health secretary found himself between a rock and a hard place after he was questioned about why he voted against free school meals last year on Good Morning Britain, my colleague Kate Ng reports.

Matt Hancock told the show’s co-hosts Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid that he was “really glad” the government was able to send out meals while schools are closed under lockdown, while discussing images of food parcels sent to eligible families which drew swift condemnation from the public and ministers.

But when challenged by Mr Morgan about why he voted against extending the meal programme over the school holidays in October last year, Mr Hancock was unable to provide a straight answer or say if he regretted his vote.

Health secretary described as ‘spineless’ in attempts to dodge question