Empty plates left outside Tory office in protest of free school meals vote

The plates were left outside the office of the MP for Southend West

Few decisions by MPs have resonated quite as much and provoked such anger as the decision by Conservative party MPs last week to vote against extending free school meals beyond half-term. The issue of free school meals has been cast into mainstream conversation in recent months, thanks in no small part to the activism of Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, who has been a vocal proponent for tackling child food poverty. One of the MPs to vote against extending free school meals was David Amess, MP for Southend West, and on Sunday his constituents let him know how they felt about his decision. https://twitter.com/ScotteeIsFat/status/1320337925289185287?s=20 Protestors placed dozens of empty plates outside the local Tory HQ, as well as placards and signs containing messages. Those messages included 'Tories - For the few, not the many' and 'No child should go hungry'. The protests were just the latest example of public outrage at the Tories apparent willingness to allow the country's most vulnerable children to go hungry, while they themselves are the recipients of taxpayer subsidies on their own meals at work. Earlier this week a petition was launched to end the subsidisation of MPs meals, which reportedly costs the taxpayer £57,000 per week.