US/UK trade deal?

Casdon

Sorry David49, but you are missing the point. If families are spending a higher percentage of their income on housing, council tax, energy bills etc., they have a lower percentage of their income to spend on food. It doesn’t matter how cheap it is if you have nothing less after you have paid your other essential bills.

I would have thought feeding children was the first essential.
It’s a sad reflection on our society when we accept that it’s OK to send a child to school with an empty stomach, in the same way nutrition has been sidelined in schools - it’s just not important.

So because a few negligent parents don’t feed children the solution is a breakfast club, then most parents do the same, if its free most will use it.

A few, David? 4.5 million children living in poverty is ‘a few’?

It’s so depressing to see we”re back to the feckless parents meme.

Breakfast clubs also have the benefit of enabling parents to get to work each morning. Negligent or hardworking?

MaizieD

A few, David? 4.5 million children living in poverty is ‘a few’?

It’s so depressing to see we”re back to the feckless parents meme.

No Maisie 4.5 m children living with a parent earning less than half the median income.

That’s around £15k a year that’s not poverty and nothing to do with giving your childs breakfast, it’s for whatever reason the parent is spending the money on higher priorities

Or are you saying that feeding children should not be first priority.

I think we need to be pragmatic David and go ahead and provide this space which is not just about food but good socialising/manners and opportunities for more parents to work. Carrot not sticks.

The trouble is with cookery lessons in schools is that they don't set tasks such as "How would you feed a family of four nutritionally balanced meals for £20 a week?"

PS. How did a thread about UK/US trade deals turn into yet another "feckless parents" thread?

Chlorinated chicken.

Plus the fact that nothing definite has yet to come out of the talks to report on, its a "work in progress"

although this gives an idea of the areas discussed
www.theguardian.com/business/2025/apr/25/reeves-highlights-importance-of-eu-trade-to-britain-before-us-tariff-talks

David49

MaizieD

A few, David? 4.5 million children living in poverty is ‘a few’?

It’s so depressing to see we”re back to the feckless parents meme.

No Maisie 4.5 m children living with a parent earning less than half the median income.

That’s around £15k a year that’s not poverty and nothing to do with giving your childs breakfast, it’s for whatever reason the parent is spending the money on higher priorities

Or are you saying that feeding children should not be first priority.

Have you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs David49? The first priority is meeting physiological needs, which includes food, safety, and warmth. Food needs are met for many families by using a foodbank, only by doing that are they able to meet the other two needs for their children and themselves. I really dislike the way people are all tarred with the same brush when they work so hard to keep surviving.

Casdon

David49

MaizieD

A few, David? 4.5 million children living in poverty is ‘a few’?

It’s so depressing to see we”re back to the feckless parents meme.

No Maisie 4.5 m children living with a parent earning less than half the median income.

That’s around £15k a year that’s not poverty and nothing to do with giving your childs breakfast, it’s for whatever reason the parent is spending the money on higher priorities

Or are you saying that feeding children should not be first priority.

Have you heard of Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs David49? The first priority is meeting physiological needs, which includes food, safety, and warmth. Food needs are met for many families by using a foodbank, only by doing that are they able to meet the other two needs for their children and themselves. I really dislike the way people are all tarred with the same brush when they work so hard to keep surviving.

Most of us work hard to survive, there are plenty that do the minimum or nothing, living on benefits their whole lives.

We don’t have unemployment in the UK, we do have plenty of unemployable people, those who are unwilling to do even the most basic work, not just that, many skilled jobs are done by migrants.

It’s by no means only people who are unemployed who struggle to make ends meet David49?

Not all of my foodbank clients are unemployed.

What does this have to do with a US/UK trade deal?