Marcus Rashford says he wants to “kill the stigma” associated with asking for support with food and resources.
The Manchester United star appeared on Good Morning Britain on Monday to discuss his ongoing campaign to support children from low-income backgrounds.
The 22-year-old battled against MPs to win the right for free school meals to continue across the summer, and has now united Sainsbury’s, Tesco and Aldi with Deliveroo and charity FairShare to create a taskforce with a long-term vision to prevent child poverty in the UK.
Speaking with Piers Morgan and Susanna Reid on ITV, Rashford has said he’s managed to sit with some of the families he’s helped over the past few weeks, and he reiterated the importance of providing support to those who need it most.
'I'm driven to help as much as I can.'
Man Utd star Marcus Rashford is backing proposals to expand free school meals following his inspirational campaigning over the summer 👊
Now, the footballer is encouraging anyone who might be struggling to come forward.
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“If someone is in a position to help you should be comfortable to ask, we need people to ask for help to get them the help that they need,” Rashford explained.
“I really wanted to kill the stigma of asking for help. I want it to die.”
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Rashford also emphasised some of the dangers associated with children not being well-fed.
“If you’re not eating you’ve got no energy, you don’t feel comfortable going to school.
“[Children affected] just sleep all day because they’re physically drained.
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“It can be the beginning of homelessness or crime.”
He added: “My mum never got that help when she was younger.
“It just drives me more to to help as much as I can.”
The footballer also responded to a tweet by Tory MP Kevin Holinrake earlier this month, who claimed it was a “parent’s job to feed their children.”
Rashford urged the politician “to talk to families before tweeting.”
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“To this day I haven’t met one parent who hasn’t wanted or felt the responsibility to feed their children…” he added.
I would urge you to talk to families before tweeting. To this day I haven’t met one parent who hasn’t wanted or felt the responsibility to feed their children… https://t.co/J72VyRazbF
Rashford’s taskforce is endorsing three policy recommendations of the National Food Strategy.
These include the expansion of free school meals to every child from a household on universal credit or equivalent; the expansion of holiday provision (food and activities) to support all children on free school meals; and increasing the value of Healthy Start Vouchers to £4.25 a week up from £3.10.
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Michelin-recommended rooftop restaurant Climat has closed its doors with immediate effect
Daisy Jackson
One of Manchester’s top-rated restaurants has announced its shock and immediate closure.
Climat, which is set way up high in Blackfriars House with staggering views of Manchester city centre, has said that the Michelin-recommended restaurant is now permanently closed.
In a heartbreaking statement, founder Christopher Laidler said that Climat is ‘yet another casualty of the times we’re living in’.
Laying out the brutal reality of running a hospitality business, Chris wrote about ‘rampant food inflation’, an ‘ever-increasing tax burden’, and ‘the persistent cost of living crisis’, describing it as a perfect storm against hospitality.
Then delving deeper into the numbers, he shared that Climat has faced an eye-watering £112,000 electricity bill for its first 13 months in business – that’s 400% more than they’d budgeted.
That was chased by a 33% increase in staff wages, then a jump in business rates from £12,000 a year to £38,000 a year.
Couple that with reduced footfall and it’s ‘spelling disaster for so many’.
Climat has closed its doors with immediate effectClimat has laid their finances bare in their closing statement
He wrote: “Whilst I wanted to highlight these reasons for closure, in the naive hope the Government will start to listen before it’s too late for others, I want to acknowledge the fantastic work of our team over the last 3.5 years.
“The closure does not do justice to their efforts and dedication. I’d also like extend a huge debt of gratitude to our guests for their support, enabling us to build a nationally recognised wine list – our raison d’être.”
Signing off, he said: “I wish everyone the very best of luck in these challenging times. Bye for now, Christopher.”
Climat opened in late 2022, with an impressive wine list and a beautiful restaurant space overlooking Manchester.
It didn’t take long before it was added to the Michelin Guide, which wrote: “An open kitchen is the focus of the room, with its aromas filling the air, and the concise fixed-price menu includes well-executed dishes such as halibut with spinach and sorrel velouté, where the ingredient quality shines through.
“Wine is a feature with one side of the room acting as a bar and the carefully curated list deftly mixing traditional and modern styles.”
Claire’s is closing down stores in the UK and Ireland with more than 1,300 jobs set to be lost
Danny Jones
In another hit to domestic shoppers, Claire’s Accessories is closing down en masse across the UK and Ireland after entering into administration once again.
Falling into an unfortunate financial status for the second time in less than a year, Claire’s will be shutting down all of their standalone stores across Britain, along with their IE branches.
A total of 154 stores will soon disappear, with more than a thousand people set to be put out of work.
Once a mainstay of British high streets up and down the country, the accessory shop known for all things jewellery, piercings and more has ceased trading effective immediately.
Announced at the start of the week and the end of the first full month of Q2, it was confirmed that Claire’s closed their final locations on Monday, 27 April.
With administrators, Kroll, appointed to wrap up business proceedings, an estimated 1,300 English, Irish, Scottish and Welsh workers have now lost their jobs.
Founded way back in 1961 over in the United States, Claire’s has operated across the Atlantic for more than three decades.
However, with various other contemporaries and cheaper online options having appeared over the years, they’ve struggled not just to remain profitable but to compete full stop.
They most recently filed for bankruptcy in the US this past August (2025), with their Belgian, Spanish, and Dutch divisions having already called it quits.
Manchester location(s) have changed a lot over time, but now they’re on the way out (Credit: Arndale)
For many, the outcome isn’t all that surprising, but it will nevertheless be a sad loss for many who have seen multiple generations visit these venues over the years.
The Manc -
14th September 2020 
