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Zayn Malik asks for free school meals in open letter to British PM

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Josiah Antonio, ABS-CBN News

<div class="embed-wrap"><figure data-feedback="fb:likes,fb:comments"><img alt="Photo from Zayn Malik" s="" Instagram="" src="https://sa.kapamilya.com/absnews/abscbnnews/media/2022/entertainment/11/09/20221109-zayn-malik.jpg"/><figcaption><em>Photo from Zayn Malik&#x27;s Instagram account.</em></figcaption></figure></div><p>English singer Zayn Malik asked Monday British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to give free school meals to children in need.</p><p>In an open letter, Malik shared his personal experience as a student in Bradford, West Yorkshire on how free school meals helped him then. </p><p>&quot;These children are suffering from a lack of concentration, some even resort to stealing food from school canteens because they are so hungry but can&#x27;t afford to buy lunch. They are also feeling shame which is directly impacting their physical and mental health,&quot; Malik wrote. </p><p>&quot;I know what that shame feels like, I have seen it first-hand, as growing up in Bradford, I relied on Free School Meals. I personally experienced the stigma surrounding food insecurity,&quot; he continued. </p><p>Giving &quot;nutritious&quot; meal to children would help them attain their educational goals, the singer said.</p><p>&quot;My hope is that in writing this letter, we can all ensure that no child ever has to experience this hunger and stigma again as my experience is not unique; it is a struggle that many children in England are sadly going through right now. As I see it, extending the current threshold and giving Free School Meals to children from families on Universal Credit would be the best way to reach those who need it most,&quot; said Malik.</p><p>&quot;This would stop children from enduring the worst of the cost-of-living crisis which in turn only creates bigger divides between the richest and poorest. Free School Meals are such a big help for the poorest children in our society and they guarantee a reliably hot, nutritious lunch every day at school, so children can thrive rather than worrying about where their next meal comes from.&quot;</p><p>The former member of One Direction said he hopes that the government would heed his call and help its constituents in addressing the issue.</p><p>&quot;I hope the government does what&#x27;s right and makes the changes that are needed. Parents are already doing everything they can, but Government support is desperately needed. No parent should have to make impossible decisions like whether to buy food, turn on the heating, or go into debt. Knowing that their children are getting a good lunch at school would be a huge relief to parents who are struggling,&quot; said Malik.</p><p>&quot;These pressures will only get worse as food and energy prices keep rising. As Prime Minister, you have the power to change this. Please act in good conscience and commit in your Budget on 17th November to giving all children living in poverty a Free School Meal. Children going hungry is not inevitable and should not come down to a political issue or ideology.&quot;</p><p>Sunak, a former finance minister, became the UK&#x27;s prime minister in late October.</p><ul class="op-related-articles">	<li><a href="https://news.abs-cbn.com/overseas/10/25/22/uks-new-pm-sunak-vows-to-fix-truss-mistakes">UK&#x27;s new PM Sunak vows to fix Truss &#x27;mistakes&#x27;</a></li></ul><p>Malik rose to fame after finishing third in “The X Factor UK” with One Direction in 2010, the group formed by Simon Cowell from eliminated male acts in the competition. </p><p>They are known for their hit songs “What Makes You Beautiful,” &quot;Kiss You&quot; and &quot;You and I.”</p><p>Malik left the group in 2015 and the boy band still released an album but went on indefinite hiatus afterward as the members pursued solo careers.</p><p>He has released three albums in his solo career: &quot;Mind of Mine&quot; (2016), &quot;Icarus Falls&quot; (2018), and Nobody Is Listening (2021).</p><p>He is known for his songs as a solo artist like &quot;Pillowtalk&quot;, &quot;I Don&#x27;t Wanna Live Forever&quot; with Taylor Swift, and &quot;Dusk Till Dawn&quot; with Sia.</p><p>Malik is the only artist to win the Billboard Music Award for New Artist of the Year twice, as a member of One Direction in 2013 and as a solo artist in 2017.</p><div><strong>FROM THE ARCHIVES:</strong></div><figure class="op-interactive"><iframe allow="autoplay; fullscreen" frameBorder="0" height="100%" id="ivsplayer01" scrolling="no" src="https://player.ivideosmart.com/ivsplayer/v4/dist/html/iframe-src.html?iframeid=ivsplayer01&amp;key=e8c22c015ca9eafa76f1e3edfa03c603&amp;spid=3001339&amp;vid=2177748" width="100%"></iframe></figure><div class="iwantbar">Watch more News on <a href="https://www.iwanttfc.com/#!/browse/Genres/News/tag_id_genres/id_news" target="_blank">iWantTFC</a></div>

English singer Zayn Malik asked British Prime Minister Rishi Sunak to give free school meals to children in need.

Zayn Malik asks for free school meals in open letter to British PM

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Zayn Malik asks for free school meals in open letter to British PM

Josiah Antonio,

ABS-CBN News

Published November 09, 2022 09:37 PM PHT

Read More:

Zayn Malik

food

free meals

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Rishi Sunak

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United Kingdom

school meals

free school meals

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