‘This country is rotting from the head down’: Celebrities slam government over children’s food parcel controversy

Government has admitted inadequate food packages are ‘completely unacceptable’

Caitlin Moran and Jessie Ware are among the celebrities to have slammed the government over substandard food parcels given to children on free school meals.

Earlier this week, the internet erupted in outrage after many parents shared pictures of the food packages they had received in place of food vouchers, with the parcels amounting to no more than a few tins, slices of cheese and vegetables despite claiming to be £30 worth of food.

The parcels were widely criticised by anti-poverty campaigners Marcus Rashford and Jack Monroe, as well as Labour leader Kier Starmer, with the government admitting that they were “completely unacceptable”.

Responding to the reports, author Caitlin Moran tweeted: “S***ty £30 food hampers with a fiver's-worth of food inside; £96m for 230,00 homeschooling laptops; £22b on Track & Trace - is there anything this government have outsourced that HASN'T ended up looking like a parasitical p***-take?”

She later added: “I tend to ration my ‘online outrage’, as the world has enough, but the way that families WHO ARE ONLY STRUGGLING BECAUSE UNIVERSAL CREDIT ISN'T ENOUGH TO LIVE ON are being treated, while companies skim frankly revolting profit, shows this country is rotting from the head down.”

Writer John O’Farrell joked: “For everyone working out their tax right now, just send the government a big box of cheese singles, a pack of frubes and a note explaining that works out as three grand.”

On her Instagram Story, singer Ware reshared a photo of one of the food packages, writing: “Unbelievable. This f***ing government. This is f***ing ridiculous.”

“I for one am amazed that a government that tried to avoid feeding hungry kids and wasted billions on private companies should have paid £30 for insufficient free school meals worth £5.22,” comedian David Schneider tweeted.

“‘You can’t give poor people money. They’ll only spend it badly on fags and booze’ say Tories who’ve just spaffed a fortune on inadequate £30 food parcels worth less than a fiver.”

Comedian Katherine Ryan also reshared a video of Matt Hancock being asked on Good Morning Britain whether he regretted voting against free school meals, with the health secretary refusing to answer the question.

“YES OR NO, B****,” Ryan wrote.