Zayn Malik calls on Rishi Sunak to provide free school meals to ‘all children living in poverty’ during cost of living crisis
Singer Zayn Malik has called on Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to do “what’s right” and “give all children living in poverty” free school meals during the cost of living crisis.
In an open letter to Mr Sunak, the former One Direction star said that “no parent should have to make impossible decisions like whether to buy food, turn on the heating, or go into debt” as the prices of food, housing and energy bills soar.
Malik, 29, grew up in Bradford, West Yorkshire, and relied on free school lunches as a child. Now a father himself, he is backing the Feed The Future Campaign urging the government to provide free school meals for all children from families on universal credit.
He becomes the latest star to support wider access to free school meals, following England footballer Marcus Rashford and celebrity chef Jamie Oliver.
It is estimated that 800,000 children in England are living in poverty and do not currently qualify, according to the Food Foundation, one of the organisations leading the campaign.
“These children are suffering from lack of concentration, some even resorting to stealing food from school canteens because they are so hungry but can’t afford to buy lunch,” Malik writes in his letter.
“They are also feeling shame which is directly impacting their physical and mental health. I know what that shame feels like, I have seen it first-hand, as growing up in Bradford, I relied on free school meals. I personally experienced the stigma surrounding food insecurity.
“My hope is that in writing this letter we can all ensure that no child ever has to experience this hunger and stigma again as my experience is not unique; it is a struggle that many children in England are sadly going through right now.”
Malik, a recently named ambassador for the Food Foundation, is urging the prime minister to use his November budget to extend the threshold to include young people from families on universal credit.
The star says many parents are “already doing everything they can” and that government support is “desperately needed”.
‘You have the power to change this’
At the end of his letter, Malik addresses Mr Sunak, writing: “As prime minister, you have the power to change this.
“Please act in good conscience and commit in your budget on 17 November to giving all children living in poverty a free school meal.
“Children going hungry is not inevitable and should not come down to a political issue or ideology.”
Food Foundation executive director Anna Taylor says she is “thrilled” to be working with Malik.
“His own experiences as a child will resonate with many young people in Britain today whose voices go unheard,” she said.
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Malik launched his career as a solo artist after leaving One Direction in 2015, a year before the boy band announced an indefinite break.
He is a father to two-year-old daughter Khai with his ex partner, US model Gigi Hadid.
As part of the campaign, he is urging people in the UK to write to their MPs about the issue.
In response to his letter, a government spokesperson said: “We have expanded access to free school meals more than any other government in recent decades, which currently reach 1.9 million children.
“We are also investing up to £24 million in our National School Breakfast Programme, which provides free breakfasts to children in schools in disadvantaged areas.
“In addition, eight million of the most vulnerable households will get at least £1,200 of cost-of-living support this year on top of benefit from the Energy Price Guarantee, meaning they will be eligible for support which exceeds the average rise in energy bills by hundreds of pounds.”
Spain has become the latest country to threaten a boycott of next year’s Eurovision Song Contest if Israel competes.
It is now the fifth broadcaster to say it will pull out over Israel’s participation, following recent announcements by the Netherlands, Ireland, Slovenia and Iceland – but the first of the competition’s so-called “Big Five”, a group which also includes Britain, Germany, Italy and France.
These countries provide the biggest financial contributions to Eurovision, with participants automatically qualifying for the final round, and their withdrawal would increase the pressure on the European Broadcasting Union (EBU), which organises the event.
Ireland, represented by EMMY at Eurovision 2025, have also said they will not take part if Israel does. Pic: Reuters
The Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group, the competition’s governing body, said a decision on Israel’s participation is pending and that it has “taken note of the concerns expressed by several broadcasters”.
RTVE, the Spanish state broadcaster, announced the decision following a board vote on Tuesday.
The measure, proposed by president Jose Pablo Lopez, garnered 10 votes in favour, four against, and one abstention in the 15-member board, the broadcaster said in a statement.
Spain’s prime minister Pedro Sanchez has previously called for Israel to be banned from the competition, highlighting how Russia was expelled following its invasion of Ukraine in 2022.
At the time, the EBU said the decision reflected “concern that, in light of the unprecedented crisis in Ukraine, the inclusion of a Russian entry in this year’s contest would bring the competition into disrepute”.
Yuval Raphael represented Israel at this year’s event. Pic: Reuters
Recent editions of the contest, which has always expressed political neutrality, have involved demonstrations against Israel’s continued military action in Gaza – launched in response to the attack by Hamas militants on 7 October 2023, which left some 1,200 people dead.
Israeli contestant Yuval Raphael, a survivor of the Hamas attack, finished second in this year’s competition, held in Basel, Switzerland, in May – but there were protests before and during her performance. Austrian singer JJ, who won, has also called for Israel’s exclusion in 2026.
Winner of the Eurovision Song Contest JJ from Austria. Pic: AP
Israel has denied accusations it is committing genocide and claimed its actions have been in self-defence against Hamas. More than 64,000 Palestinians have been killed since Israel launched its military action.
In a statement following the vote in Spain, contest director Martin Green said he understood the “concerns and deeply held views around the ongoing conflict in the Middle East”, and that consultation with members is ongoing “to gather views on how we manage participation and geopolitical tensions”.
Broadcasters have until mid-December to conform if they want to take part.
What have others said?
The Netherlands was represented by Claude in Switzerland. Pic: Reuters
Dutch broadcaster AvroTros said last week that it was taking a stance in response to the loss of life in Gaza, with the deaths of journalists there a factor in the decision.
Irish broadcaster RTE said the country was taking the same stance, saying it was “unconscionable” to take part given the “ongoing and appalling loss of lives in Gaza”.
Following his win in May, singer JJ said it was “disappointing to see Israel still participating”, according to Spanish newspaper El Pais. “I would like the next Eurovision to be held in Vienna and without Israel,” he added.
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The “potential impacts and consequences of either decision” are being assessed, the Eurovision Song Contest Reference Group said in a statament.
Next year’s Eurovision will be the 70th anniversary of the event, and will take place at the Wiener Stadthalle in Vienna on 16 May.
Owen Cooper, the star of TV drama Adolescence, has made history becoming the youngest to win an outstanding supporting actor Emmy.
Cooper, who is 15, played Jamie Miller in the highly-acclaimed Netflix series set in Liverpool.
Adolescence, which dominated Netflix’s most-watched list earlier this year, centres on the story of a 13-year-old boy arrested for the murder of a classmate.
It won a total of four Emmys.
Cooper was just 14 at the time of filming Adolescence and had never acted before.
Pic: Netflix
In his acceptance speech he said he was “nothing three years ago.”
“It’s just so surreal. Honestly, when I started these drama classes a couple years back, I didn’t expect to be even in the United States, never mind here.
“So I think tonight proves that if you listen and you focus and you step out your comfort zone, you can achieve anything in life.”
The four-part mini-series provoked a strong response from viewers and prompted a conversation in the UK – and worldwide – around misogyny and online safety, with co-creator Jack Thorne joining Prime Minister Keir Starmer for a discussion on the matter at the end of March.
It was also widely praised for its filming techniques, with each episode captured in one continuous take.
Gyllenhaal’s gift
Cooper’s co-star Erin Doherty (who played Jamie’s therapist) won best supporting actress in a limited series, director Philip Barantini took home the Emmy for outstanding directing for a limited or anthology series or movie, while writers Jack Thorne and Stephen Graham won for outstanding writing in the same category.
Before the awards ceremony, Cooper, from Warrington, had been surprised by his acting hero Jake Gyllenhaal, who walked in unannounced during an interview he was giving to press.
The pair hugged, and Gyllenhaal gave Cooper a small gift – a “lucky duck”.
“I made this movie [Brokeback Mountain], and I got nominated for an Academy Award, and a friend of mine sent me this before. Something just like this,” he said.
“It’s just a ‘Lucky Duck’ to keep in your pocket. To give you a little bit of luck.”
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