Two Wakefield district MPs voted against extending free school meals for kids over the holidays

Conservative MPs Imran Ahmad Khan, representing Wakefield, and Andrea Jenykns, representing Morley and Outwood, were among those to vote against the motion, in a move described as "shameful" and "callous".

The motion was defeated in the House of Commons last night by 261 votes to 322.

Labour's Yvette Cooper for Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford and Jon Trickett for Hemsworth voted in favour of extending the free school meals programme.

It followed a campaign by Manchester United and England forward Marcus Rashford to help deprived children.

Ahead of the vote he encouraged politicians to “unite” to protect the most vulnerable children and vowed to continue campaigning, writing on Twitter: “For as long as they don’t have a voice, they will have mine.”

Sally Kincaid, joint district secretary of Wakefield National Education Union, said: “It is a very callous decision that has been taken in parliament last night.

"This fact that this motion was lost shows how little care or understanding many MPs have of poverty and its impact on children and young people.

"Denying nearly 10,000 children in our district who are eligible for FSM over the holiday period will result in unnecessary suffering and misery.

"Morley and Outwood MP Andrea Jenkins and Wakefield MP Imran Khan voted against the proposal to extend free school meals in the holidays. This is a shameful action as they won’t be going hungry next week and not worry about where their next meal is coming from.

"This isn’t right. No child should return to school after the half term break too hungry to learn.

"The NEU will not stand by as poverty limits the life chances of children and young people. We will continue to campaign to hold the government to account and leave no child behind."

Ahead of the vote Downing Street ruled out performing a late U-turn, with Boris Johnson also telling Prime Minister’s Questions on Wednesday: “We support kids on low incomes in school and we will continue to do so.

“But the most important thing is to keep them in school and not tear off into another national lockdown taking them out of school.

The government publishes rankings of deprivation each constituency in England.

Of the 533 constituencies, with the high ranking representing the highest level of deprivation, Normanton, Pontefract and Castleford is ranked 101, Hemsworth is ranked 111, Wakefield is ranked 116, and Morley and Outwood is ranked 305.

The Express has approached Imran Ahmad Khan and Andrea Jenkyns for comment.