The minister in charge of school food has said he is 鈥渒een to learn鈥� from Sadiq Khan鈥檚 rollout of free school meals to all primary pupils to inform 鈥渉ow we may take further interventions in future鈥�. Labour has faced growing calls to extend free school meals eligibility to all children from households claiming universal credit, and from some quarters to go further and provide free lunches for all pupils, regardless of means. At present, universal meals are only provided to infants, while older pupils receive meals if they have a pre-benefit household income below 拢7,400. Asked about expanding free lunches, Stephen Morgan told a fringe event at the Labour conference the 鈥渄ifficult financial climate鈥� meant the government was focusing on its plans for breakfast clubs in every primary school. Sadiq Khan 鈥淚f we had a different inheritance, obviously we’d be having other conversations around the value of school food and the benefit it can bring to other aspects of school life.鈥� But he said he was 鈥渧ery keen to learn from what Sadiq has been doing in London, and I think we’ve got to make sure that the evidence is there to demonstrate how we may take further interventions in future鈥�. He added that it was 鈥渧ery much a live conversation I’m having with the DfE and learning from local authorities that are already doing this鈥�. It comes after the National Education Union, which campaigns for universal free meals for all pupils, staged a demonstration outside the conference with Liverpool school pupils to put their case to the new government. Minister ‘hopes’ for more funding Labour has pledged 拢315 million for its breakfast clubs and plans to legislate via its children鈥檚 wellbeing bill to make them mandatory for all primary schools. But it is understood that figures was not calculated based on 100 per cent take up of the clubs, leading to concerns schools might have to subsidise them from their wider budgets, or that the quality of food would suffer. Labour has not said what take-up it anticipated. Pressed by Schools Week on whether further funding would be made available if take-up exceeded expectations, Morgan said it was 鈥渁 clear manifesto commitment we want to deliver on and we want to roll that out as quickly as possible鈥�. Chancellor Rachel Reeves this week announced a 拢7 million early adopter rollout of the clubs from April, working with around 750 schools. 鈥淥bviously, we’ve got the spending review coming up as well, so there will be further announcements as part of that process, but obviously we do want to deliver as quickly as possible,鈥� said Morgan. 鈥淎nd鈥 hope in light of Rachel Reeves making that announcement this week, the money will be there to make it happen.鈥� Charity says higher take-up not that expensive Lorraine Kelly, from the charity said 100 per cent take-up 鈥渨ould not cost the government that much more鈥� She said their costings had shown that 鈥渙nce you get the delivery, the equipment in schools, the school staff, the logistical support鈥nd the mixed model provision embedded, the take up is the last thing that you need to factor in costs for. 鈥淥nce you get all those other things that are the vast majority of costing taken care of鈥he 100% take up would just be the phenomenal cherry on top.鈥� She added that the charity would be 鈥渧ery happy鈥� to supply the government with full costings for 100 per cent take-up. School food standards ‘grossly out of date’ Morgan also revealed during the meeting that he was reviewing school food standards and guidance Pressed on how the government would ensure breakfast club food was of a high standard, he said it was 鈥渧ery clear to me, as a new minister of department that the current standards we have and the guidance issued to schools is grossly out of date and needs to be looked at and I hope鈥e can work with the sector to make that happen鈥�.