Tag: Tulip Siddiq

The comments made by Tulip Siddiq, the Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years, on 19 March 2021.

The Government is clearly failing children with special educational needs and disabilities. Families are facing a postcode lottery, with inconsistent support that is determined by geography and resources rather than the needs of children.

This is unacceptable. Children have been neglected by this Government and action is urgently needed to ensure that every child with SEND receives the individual support they need to succeed at school.

The comments made by Tulip Siddiq, the Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years, on 4 March 2021.

The Government has treated children as an afterthought throughout this pandemic. Vulnerable children face greater risks during lockdown, so it is extremely concerning to see this decline in referrals to children’s support services.

The Government has clearly not learnt lessons from the first lockdown when many vulnerable children were left without support.

Instead of doing everything possible to identify children at risk of slipping through the gaps, Ministers are turning their backs allowing Government funding for a programme reaching these vulnerable young people to end this month.

The comments made by Tulip Siddiq, the Shadow Children and Early Years Minister, on 14 January 2021.

Time and time again this government has had to be shamed into providing food for hungry children over school holidays. Stopping Free School Meals support over half-term will be devastating for many families who are living on the breadline in this pandemic.

The Prime Minister’s claim to be morally outraged at images of woefully inadequate food parcels will ring hollow for parents who are worried about whether they will be able to put food on the table for their children over half-term.

The comments made by Tulip Siddiq, the Shadow Children and Early Years Minister, on 11 January 2021.

The images that have been circulating on social media are shameful. But these revelations about the Government’s own guidance means that ministers’ newfound concern rings hollow. A couple of tins and a bottle of milk isn’t the difference between acceptable or unacceptable.

The Government’s response has yet again been far too slow, with national food vouchers only becoming available from next week – two weeks after schools moved to remote learning.

Children are going hungry now – this cannot wait.

The letter sent by Tulip Siddiq, the Shadow Children and Early Years Minister, to Amanda Milling, the Conservative Party Chairman, on 24 October 2020.

Dear Amanda

I am writing regarding a tweet this evening by Conservative Member of Parliament Ben Bradley.

Before the summer, I was delighted when the Conservative Party decided, after representations by campaigners including Marcus Rashford, to U-turn on providing free school meals over summer and agree to fund this crucial support.

The reason why many people were so disappointed this week when Conservative MPs chose to vote to withdraw this support is precisely because we have seen the huge difference it has made throughout this pandemic, when many children have gone without the food they need.

However, in a tweet this evening Mr Bradley appeared to claim that free school meal vouchers “effectively” gave “£20 cash direct to a crack den and brothel”.

Notwithstanding the fact that free school meal vouchers could only be redeemed in participating supermarkets for the purchase of food and groceries, I am sure that you will want to make clear that this kind of crass stigmatisation of children from poorer families is deeply damaging, and distance yourself from Mr Bradley’s misleading and troubling comments.

In the meantime, I respectfully ask you to request an apology from Mr Bradley to the millions of children from lower income households who benefit from free school meal support.

I look forward to hearing from you at the earliest possible opportunity.

Yours sincerely,

Tulip Siddiq MP.

The comments made by Tulip Siddiq, the Shadow Minister for Children and Early Years, on 21 October 2020.

Ten years of cuts have left children’s services unable to cope with the pressures of Covid-19 and many young people are struggling to access the support they need.

This report shows that it is deprived areas that have been hit hardest by Tory policies over the last decade.

You can’t improve life chances for children without strong local services.