Breakfast clubs will begin in 750 schools from today in a move that GB News star Eamonn Holmes has heavily criticised.
Parents will be provided with 30 minutes of free childcare a day as schools help them “juggle busy mornings”.
The Government also claim the move could save them up to £450 a year, while also tackling the nation’s truancy crisis.
But Eamonn is not impressed, thinking the taxpayer should not have to fork out to help parents.
“I’m at a stage where all my kids are grown up, I don’t have to face this thing anymore”, Eamonn said on GB News.
“But I’m suddenly stopping and going, what’s this I’m paying for? Why are we paying for this? Why is this going to 750 schools and not all schools?”
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Political commentator Eve McQuillan explained: “It was a manifesto commitment from the Labour Party at the last election and they’re very keen to roll this out nationally.
“They’re doing this pilot scheme for a short period until July to see how they can do this effectively, to ensure that it meets most children, so really it’s a sensible way of rolling out what is quite a big programme.
“They’ve committed £30million towards it. We’re in a situation as a country where one quarter of primary school teachers are saying that they regularly spend their own money on feeding kids.
“That cannot be right. We know that we’ve got a child poverty problem in this country and I think it’s a reasonable good use of taxpayers’ money to be spending on ensuring that children go to school and they are fed and are able to learn.”
Eamonn was not convinced, responding: “I just look and I think the basic, primary parental responsibility is to look after your children. To feed your children.
“I sit and I scratch my head and say, of all the things that we can do as parents and all the things we can spend money on.
“Are you telling me that you can’t give your kid a bit of toast and a cup of tea in the morning?”
McQuillan argued the scheme will allow for more parents to get back to work and help fix Britain’s ailing workforce.
She pointed to the free hours Labour have promised will come about as a result of the practice.
Eamonn said “a lot of people’s reaction is, ‘if you can’t afford to feed your children, don’t have them’.
“I know that sounds harsh and maybe very old fashioned, but a lot of people feel that way.
“I speak from the heart on this one because I am from a working class family. I was one of five boys in the house and money was tight in. My house.
“We were never sent out not washed, not groomed and not given some cereal in the morning.”
The political commentator said it is a societal responsibility to ensure every child is well fed and well looked after, and if teachers are reporting that is not happening on a wide scale, drastic action is required.
“We need to make sure that does happen”, she said.
“That’s the basic duty of a responsible society”, she continued before Eamonn interjected: “It’s the basic duty of a parent before it is a basic duty of a responsible society.
“I’m really quite shocked at this. I just think you get to a point where you think of all the things I would have to do in life. If I ran out of money, looking after my kids would still be number one.
“I understand how sad this is and the pressures on the family and all that sort of thing, but goodness me. Where does it stop in this country?
“What do we provide for? We provide for everything. Why is this for 750 schools and not all schools? If you’re going to do it, do it everywhere.”