Universal free school meals for the youngest children could be at risk as the government looks to make cuts in the Spring Statement tomorrow, reports claim.

Rumoured cuts to the education budget could come from ending free school meals for children in key stage one, according to the Times newspaper.

The Liberal Democrats urged ministers against making such a cut, with the party’s education spokesperson Munira Wilson saying: “Children cannot be expected to learn on empty stomachs.

“If the Government go ahead with this, they should hang their heads in shame as they slash free school meals while giving a tax cut to (Elon) Musk and other tech billionaires.

“Liberal Democrats are calling for free school meals to be extended to all children in poverty.”

But the Chancellor, Rachel Reeves said she does not “recognise” reports ministers may means-test free school meals as part of the cost-cutting drive across Government.

It was also claimed in some reports that Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson had also said that funding for free period products in schools as well as dance, music and PE schemes might be at risk.

Ahead of the spring statement, the Prime Minister told BBC Radio 5 Live  that he wanted to “take some money out of Government” and was looking “across the board” at where to make spending cuts.

Sir Keir insisted the Government had made “record investments” at last October’s budget and that the statement would not “alter the basics” of public spending.

He and the Chancellor face a difficult fiscal situation, as Ms Reeves has repeatedly said she will not budge from her fiscal rules, which rule out borrowing to fund day-to-day spending.

This has led to mounting pressure over how to balance the books – by raising taxes or cutting spending – amid disappointing growth figures and higher-than-expected borrowing.

Although the Chancellor is expected to announce a series of spending cuts on Wednesday, she has faced calls from some quarters to raise taxes on the richest instead.

The charity Oxfam is among those calling for a 2% wealth tax on people with assets worth more than £10 million, saying a YouGov poll of 2,257 people showed 78% would back such a move, while 77% would rather see higher taxes on the rich than cuts in public spending.

What are universal free school meals?

Universal infant free school meals are offered to all government funded schools, feeding pupils in reception, year 1, and year 2, regardless of their parents' income.

When is the Spring Statement 2025?

This year's Spring Statement is due to be delivered on Wednesday March 26 2025. It will include the latest economic and fiscal forecasts from the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) and a parliamentary address from the chancellor, Rachel Reeves. 

She has previously committed to one major economic event - the autumn budget - each year, so families can plan for when tax and spending changes will be announced.

So, while we may not expect to see huge changes, predictions say that some cuts may need to be announced. 

Given the difficult economic climate and drastically reduced headroom in how much money is available for public spending, many will be watching to see how she plans to balance the books in the face of weak economic growth and mounting debt interest costs.

The Government will not “alter the basics” of public spending, Sir Keir Starmer has claimed, when faced with questions about whether budget cuts will be announced this week.

But the Prime Minister said he wanted to “take some money out of Government”.

This is likely to include spending cuts for some Government departments.

This includes benefit reforms branded the biggest shake-up to the welfare system in a generation, which was announced last week.

The Office for Budget Responsibility has forecast that spending on health and disability benefits for working-age adults will increase from £48.5 billion in 2023/24 to £75.7 billion in 2029/30.

Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall said the Government was taking “decisive action to fix the broken benefits system” in a bid to have a “more pro-active, pro-work system for those who can work”.

The £5 billion of savings will largely come from changes to eligibility for the Personal Independence Payment (PIP), but also from a reduction of the health element of Universal Credit, and by combining it with Employment and Support Allowance.

Industry minister Sarah Jones was asked on Good Morning Britain whether the Government is considering any new taxes, and said: “I’m not going to speculate. I’m sorry about that, on what the Chancellor may or may not do.”

She added: “We know that we are waiting for the OBR, that we are looking at our spending, that we are investigating every penny that we spend in government, so that we are spending taxpayers’ money wisely.”

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The OBR's forecast is expected to confirm that the £9.9bn financial buffer to meet her budget rule by the 2029-30 financial year has been wiped out.

Reeves has repeatedly said her rules are "non-negotiable". Her two main rules are:

  • Not to borrow to fund day-to-day public spending

  • To get debt falling as a share of national income by the end of this parliament

Are we expecting more cuts?

There are ongoing reviews of how the civil service functions, with cuts in budgets expected. Sir Keir Starmer and cabinet secretary Sir Chris Wormald have written to all civil servants calling for a “rewiring of the British state”.

Their message included plans to make the Civil Service smaller, while the proportion of civil servants in digital or data roles will double by 2030.

Civil Service unions have warned that as many as 50,000 people could lose their jobs and vital services could deteriorate after Ms Reeves confirmed plans to cut Civil Service running costs by 15% by the end of the decade.

Public and Commercial Services union general secretary Fran Heathcote warned former prime minister Gordon Brown had attempted to cut backroom Civil Service staff, and the “consequences of that was chaos”.