‘Empty plate’ protest held outside MP’s Regent Street office

Around a hundred plates with protest messages were left outside Wrexham MP Sarah Atherton’s office on Regent Street earlier today.

The paper plates were left in protest against a recent vote on an Opposition Day motion calling for the extension of free meals during the school holidays in England until Easter 2021, with the method of protest appearing popular across the UK this week.

The below image was shared by Bobbi Cockroft, said: “We organised this event to express our disgust that our relatively new Tory MP has voted against feeding children in England during the school break. People left their empty plates and messages and dispersed safely and quickly.”

The very top image of Wrexham’s MP clearing away the plates was sent to Wrexham.com, with it noted “she was reading every plate” as they were cleared away later in the afternoon.

Last week we asked Sarah Atherton MP about the issue and her vote effectively rejecting a motion calling for the continuation of funding of free school meals in England. Recently Welsh Government guaranteed free school meal provision for all school holidays up to and including Easter 2021, as well allocating funding to support colleges with the equivalent provision for eligible learners, as a result we asked if she opposed that policy itself.

Sarah Atherton MP explained:

Like my colleagues, I believe that we do need a long term, workable solution to tackle food inequality across the UK. Yesterday’s vote in Parliament, brought by the Labour Party, would not have achieved this. ‘Opposition Day’ motions have no legislative power; the vote would not have changed law, nor was it binding on the Government. They only serve to provide a blinkered and negative spin on a situation for the purpose of political point scoring.

Of course, no one wants any child to go hungry and we are experiencing unprecedented and difficult times. That is why the UK Government rightly extended free school meals during the Easter and Summer holidays, whilst students were off school. However students are now back at school and those eligible for free school meals will continue to get that provision.

Free school meals are a devolved responsibility and I respect the Welsh Government’s position on this. The UK Government is supporting Wales throughout the pandemic through the welfare system, with the Universal Credit and working tax credit uplift, an extra £4.4bn to Welsh Government to help manage the consequences of Covid 19, and other support schemes such as furlough and business support. I continue to work with local charities and agencies to support all of my constituents and businesses in Wrexham.

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