The Liberal Democrats will call for free school meals to be given to all children in poverty on Sunday, claiming that an expansion would give an additional 900,000 pupils lunch.

Munira Wilson, the party’s education spokesperson, will deliver her keynote speech at the party’s autumn conference in Brighton, in which she will also call for a national body for special educational needs and disabilities (Send).

Ms Wilson, who has been the MP for Twickenham since 2019, is expected to tell the conference that extending free school meals would give “more pupils a full stomach each lunchtime” and would lead to “better academic progress, better behaviour and concentration, better health outcomes”.

On child poverty, it is thought that she will share a story of a constituent “who told me that she stopped buying her medication so that her daughter at college could afford some lunch”.

Lib Dem education spokeswoman Munira Wilson giving a speech
Lib Dem education spokeswoman Munira Wilson (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

She is expected to say: “I’ve heard stories of pupils pretending to eat out of empty lunchboxes to hide from their friends that there was no food at home. That cannot be right in modern Britain.

“A free school meal for every child in poverty would give 900,000 more pupils a full stomach each lunchtime. That means better academic progress, better behaviour and concentration, better health outcomes. But Labour have stayed silent.”

The proposed national body for Send Ms Wilson is expected to discuss would take responsibility for children with the most complex needs and would pay any costs above a certain threshold and would mean that “the most severely disabled children can have their support paid for centrally”.

“Where do I start with special educational needs?” she is expected to say.

“A system where tens of thousands of parents must fight the council in the courts to get the support that is their child’s legal right.

“When parents win almost 98 times out of 100, you know the system is broken.

“A system where the only reason why dozens of councils aren’t bankrupt is because they can keep Send support off the balance sheet.”

She will add: “Liberal Democrats have plenty of positive proposals to bring to the table – ideas such as a new national funding body so that the most severely disabled children can have their support paid for centrally, freeing up councils to help others in need.

“In the early years, Send and more, we will be a constructive opposition to Labour.”

The conference in Brighton is the party’s first since they won 72 MPs at the general election in July.

The Liberal Democrats’ autumn conference continues in Brighton until Tuesday.