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Labour snatched milk from children first, says ex-minister
Paul Waugh, Deputy Political Editor9 Aug 2010
Former Tory cabinet minister John Redwood today pointed out that it was a Labour government which first axed free school milk.
Mr Redwood said it was education secretary Ted Short who scrapped the practice for secondary schools in 1968, three years before Margaret Thatcher followed suit for primary school pupils over seven.
He said that "Labour's unpleasant, personalised and biased" approach to the "Thatcher Milk Snatcher" cut had proved the difficulty in tackling public spending. It was the 1974-79 Labour government which then removed free school milk from five, six and seven-year-olds, Mr Redwood added.
"The truth is all three parties in power from 1968-2010 went along with the phased removal of free milk in schools. Presumably they did so because they recognised there were better ways of helping children from low-income families with dietary needs," he wrote on his blog today.
However, a former President of the Royal Society of Physicians, Sir Ian Gilmore, today said that Downing Street had been right to step in and save free milk for under-fives.
Sir Ian said that giving pre-school children the milk would help tackle health inequalities at an early age. "It's not a very sensible place to start," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
Reader views (5)
I recieved free milk as an infant. It was not essential when I reached the age of 11. By then my bones had formed . LIB, LAB or CONS, small children benifit from milk or dont these members of parliament realise that. Some parents are better able to provide for thier children, some find it difficult to provide. Dont penalise the children, this is no place to play politics.
- John Bandey, St Pardoux, France, 09/08/2010 20:02
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John St Albans, sorry chap, it is THIS govt that made the announcement, whatever Labour may have done some years ago, and may have intended to do in the future.
And please don't lable me a leftie!! You know nothing about me and you would be quite wrong. However, I disagree totally that you can justify grotesque earnings, and unfairly low rates of tax, simply because that enables the few to employ the rest of us. Honestly that is like the politics of the Serf and the Feudal Baron. Thankfully we left that sort of system behind hundreds of years ago, most of us hoped never to return, but it seems it is.
And if it comes to a choice between aid for black dictators in Africa and £50m for our own children to start them off on a good dietary habit, then i say cut Overseas Aid immediately - then there will be plenty of money for all this sort of programme.
I have no doubt you will be one of the first to slag off modern youngsters for eating rubbish, and being overweight. Cause and Effect may be??
Anyway time for cocktails with Prince Albert.
- Fuller Sheet, Monaco, 09/08/2010 19:11
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The readers of this seem to miss the detail all too often. Fuller Sheet talks about "this government" when the article clearly points out it all started with the labour government in 1968 and they had a further go in 1974-79. What is it about lefties that they have such selective memories? As to the majority wanting “the very rich” instead to pay more tax – well that’s puerile. There are people who to my mind do earn too much, but they also employ most of the rest of us who would be even worse off if they left the UK altogether.
- John, St Albans, 09/08/2010 18:41
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It is very obvious to anyone with an ounce of intelligence that it is extremely important for young children to drink milk. However, for the government to have to provide it free, in a so-called advanced country, does not say much for many of Britain's parents. It is the governments of countries like Ethiopia that ought to be providing free milk for children.
The real reason why the government has backed down is because of the unjustified stigma, perpetrated by the Labour party and various tabloid newspapers, of 'snatching milk from babies'.
- Percy Vere, Chipping Campden, Glos., 09/08/2010 16:57
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It was still unbelievably crass for this govt to think it could possibly cut free milk. Why do they simply refuse to put taxes up on the very rich instead?? They simply will not do what the vast majority of the public want them to do, and instead were trying to save just £50m on milk. What will the kids drink instead - Sunny Delight stuffed full of sugar and chemicals.
Then next week they will be complaining about obese, unfit kids.
This is all just so barking mad.
- Fuller Sheet, Monaco, 09/08/2010 16:36
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