Theresa May rejects ‘milk snatcher’ jibe in row over nursery scheme
2 min read
Theresa May has hit back after being labelled a “milk snatcher” over plans to divert cash for nurseries to a new healthy foods scheme.
The Times reported this morning that the Government is considering redirecting cash from a nursery milk scheme to pay for healthy food vouchers for low-income parents.
But Downing Street insisted "no child who received milk in this scheme will have it taken away".
The new initiative described by the paper would provide vouchers for fruit and vegetables for pregnant, low-income women.
As part of the consultation, ministers are considering capping the amount that nurseries can claim back as part of long-established scheme that provides pupils with a third of a pint of milk free each day, it said.
Labour branded the Prime Minister a “milk snatcher” - in reference to a similar policy pursued by ex-Tory leader Margaret Thatcher.
But Number Ten hit back today, describing the reported framing of the plans as “wrong”.
A spokeperson for the Prime Minister said: “What is actually happening is that there is a consultation about healthy start vouchers and as part of that there’s a consultation on capping the amount nurseries can charge for milk, which is a slightly different thing.
“But I think it’s really important to say that no child who received milk in this scheme will have it taken away.”
A Labour spokeswoman had said: “Theresa May is copying from the Thatcher milk snatcher playbook. Low-income families deserve support but it should be big businesses and the super-rich who pay for it, not nursery children.”
A senior Tory MP had also expressed concern over the plan, saying it would be “fairly toxic, however it’s dressed up”.
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