Sadiq 1
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00:00 Sadiq Khan has promised to give all primary school children in London free school meals
00:04 for another four years if he is re-elected as mayor.
00:08 The £500m pledge is the centrepiece of his 2024 mayoral manifesto.
00:14 Mr Khan is hoping to secure a historic third term of office from the upcoming May elections.
00:19 He had initially introduced free lunches for pupils in state primaries from last September
00:25 as a one-year emergency measure, addressing the cost of living crisis.
00:29 In a statement, the serving mayor said, "Free school meals have proved a lifeline during the
00:35 worst decline in living standards on record, but they do much more besides. That meal can
00:41 be the difference between a child realising their potential and falling short of it."
00:46 All 1,900 state primary schools in the capital are taking part in the scheme,
00:51 benefiting over 280,000 children a day.
00:55 Labour estimates the policy will save the average London family £500 per child per school year.
01:02 Mr Khan's Tory rival, Susan Hall, challenged if it was right for poorer Londoners to be
01:06 contributing to feed children of millionaires via their council tax.