BBC Radio 5 Live

Eleanor Lawrie
BBC News

Image source, Getty Images

Millions of poorer children on free school meals have been sent food vouchers and parcels while at home during lockdown.

Footballer Marcus Rashford and others have asked the government in England to rethink its decision to stop its voucher scheme during the summer holidays.

Here's everything you need to know about the free school meals debate.

Primary school age children are showing more emotional and behavioural difficulties during lockdown, according to new research.

The study by the University of Oxford asked parents and carers of 10,000 young people about their child's wellbeing.

Sarah Iqbal, 11, surveyed 160 children at her school in South Yorkshire to find out how they felt during the coronavirus pandemic.

More than eight out of 10 told her they were worried and scared.

She said: "It's very important that we, as children, get our voices heard so that we feel calm and we know that it's safe."

Daniel Wainwright
BBC England Data Unit

Almost 1.3 million children, 15.4% of state-educated pupils in England, were eligible for and claiming free school meals according to the latest available data.

At a regional level, more than one in five state-educated pupils (21%) in the North East were receiving free school meals, compared with just over one in 10 (11.2%) in the South East.

At a local authority level official figures for 2019 showed the need was greatest in parts of London, the north and Midlands with between a quarter and a third of all pupils in some areas receiving them.

A voucher scheme for children who qualify for free school meals is to continue through the summer in Scotland and Wales, but will stop at the end of term in England and Northern Ireland.

Labour's shadow education secretary Rebecca Long Bailey asked BBC Breakfast why the Government in England couldn't extend their support.

Image source, Marcus Rashford

Footballer Marcus Rashford has been tweeting this morning about his battle to urge the government to reverse its decision to stop free school meal vouchers in England during the summer.

He has urged his followers to "keep the noise going".

Read more about the England striker's campaign here.

In Brent, north London, Susan Bleau, is considering sending her 11-year-old daughter to stay with her ex-partner's family in Birmingham, if there are no free school meals vouchers over the summer.

Her daughter's primary school has helped her access vouchers from the government scheme and the school has been delivering food parcels every Friday.

Image source, Getty Images

Susan has just returned to her part-time job having been furloughed since March - but the knock-on effect of a 20% cut in income under furlough has left her finances stretched.

If the food voucher scheme isn't extended over the summer, she says: "I would have to get some form of help". Read more here.

Judith Burns
Education reporter

Families have told the BBC it will prove very difficult for them when food vouchers, worth £15 per children per week, stop at the end of term.

In Leicester, 15-year-old Dev says he and his 13-year-old brother would be eating poorer quality food without the vouchers.

Image source, Bite Back 2030

His parents would have to rely on "cheap, cheap meals - the type that make you full for about an hour", he says.

"Unfortunately unhealthy food is the cheapest - food that you shouldn't really be feeding kids." You can read more here.

The number of workers on UK payrolls dived more than 600,000 between March and May, official figures suggest.

The Office for National Statistics said there had been a record fall in the number of job vacancies in the period.

Image source, Getty Images

The early estimates reflect the impact of around six weeks of lockdown in the UK, in which almost nine million workers have been furloughed.

But economists say the full impact on employment will not be felt until wage support schemes end in October.

The dust has settled after the first day of trading for non-essential shops in England since the coronavirus lockdown almost three months ago.

Bargain hunters and spendthrifts alike descended on the High Streets, with some retailers seeing long queues and others reporting a quiet start to trading.

So what was it like for the people staffing and running those shops?

Image source, neeraj chadda

Neeraj Chadda, who manages a Currys PC World megastore in London, says he loved being back.

He hadn't put a suit on to turn up to work in weeks. "I was just happy doing that today," he said.

Read more here.

BBC Breakfast

Nicholas Watt
Political editor, BBC Newsnight

Conservative MPs will have a chance to register their unease over the free school meals debate when the Labour party holds a Commons debate this afternoon.

One Tory backbencher forecast an eventual government U-turn.

Image source, Reuters

Sonja from Basingstoke, who has three teenage children, told BBC Radio 5 live she found herself out of work because of the pandemic and does not start her new job until September. She said she would be in "real trouble" without the vouchers in the meantime.

"I'm relying on the £60 I get every fortnight from free school meal vouchers to do my food shopping," she said.

"There are lots of us out there that have found ourselves on benefits through no fault of our own. We really are struggling to make ends meet and I'm not sure too many people understand how difficult it is."

If you'd like to share how the decision over free school meal vouchers would affect your family email or tweet, external us.

Dougal Shaw
BBC News

Lots of small businesses in the UK have been hit hard by coronavirus, especially in the hospitality sector.

Peter and Elaine Kinsella own a small chain of restaurants in the north west of England and describe the heartache of closing one of their branches, with the loss of more than 30 jobs.

BBC Radio 5 Live

BBC Business News

Bosses at restaurant and food chains including Wagamama and Pizza Hut have warned the prime minister the sector faces mass job cuts without more help.

In a letter to Boris Johnson backed by 90 firms, they say that if social distancing remains they will need action on tax, rents and other support.

Image source, PA Media

Without more help, the sector faces "grave damage", the firms say.

Deliveroo organised the letter, signed by its partner restaurants including Itsu and Pret A Manger.

Vivienne Nunis
Business reporter, BBC News

Kayleigh Rennix was earning close to £40,000 working as an HR manager in the education sector before she resigned in March, fearing her role was at risk.

The 34-year-old from Essex had planned to find a new job quickly and restart work in May, after a holiday in Italy. But the coronavirus pandemic put paid to those plans.

Image source, Kayleigh Rennix

"As my leaving date approached, coronavirus reared its ugly head. I would say I've applied for more than 100 jobs and not had many call backs," she says.

Now Kayleigh has found herself relying on benefit payments for the first time in her life, and expects to move back in with her parents when her tenancy expires later in the summer.

Read here story here.

Anisa Kadri
BBC South Today

Marium Ahmad has spent time during lockdown looking at TikTok, reading up on her latest 'obsession' - star signs - and making packages for elderly care-home residents with her mum.

The 12-year-old, who has autism and chronic fatigue, describes herself as "more of an introvert" who likes staying in. When lockdown ends, she says "it will be a lot to take in" for her.

Marium says wearing a face mask to stop the spread of coronavirus would be difficult for her.

She also says she is "not a big fan" of crowds - and going out can be difficult. Read Marium's story here.

Jennifer Meierhans
BBC News

News just in that the number of UK workers on payrolls fell by more than 600,000 in three months to May as lockdown hit.

Click here to read more as this story develops.

Pressure is mounting on the government to continue its voucher scheme for children who qualify for free school meals in England over the summer.

There is growing unease among some Tory MPs over the refusal to extend the support - as footballer Marcus Rashford continues to campaign on the issue.

During a Commons debate later, Labour will say it would be "callous" not to take what it will call a "small step".

The government says £63m is available to councils to support families.

Jennifer Meierhans
BBC News

Thank you for joining me for coronavirus news from across England.

I'll be looking at how home schooling is going and the call for free meals vouchers to continue for some children over the summer.

I'll get you up to date on the impact of the virus and bring you the latest expert advice and analysis.

If there's something you'd like to share, send us an us email or tweet., external