Politics can be as tribal as football, or worse, sadly – take that from a Chelsea fan.
Football players are like politicians in so many ways. We have a shared focus, we are people from different cultures, nationalities, races, sexual orientations, religions and even football allegiances, but we unite to achieve great things.
We all have a shared desire to change to win for our ‘team’, our parties, our communities.
“No child should be starting 20 yards behind because of the community they live in”
I want to put that tribalism aside and to praise Marcus Rashford for his campaign to highlight food insecurity in our country.
We are now looking at a situation where it is 27 per cent worse than pre-pandemic. In fact, you could fill 27 Wembley Stadiums with the 2.5 million children who are struggling to know where their next meal is coming from today.
Low-income families are facing major challenges with the end of furlough and the Universal Credit cut: this government is heartless.
Regardless of the issues facing us decision-makers, our children should never be deemed secondary. Short-term solutions aren’t going to cut it. We need long-term planning, executed well.
Children went back to school this autumn – a welcome step for some, a daunting prospect for others impacted by lack of social interaction and lack of access to learning during the pandemic.
So, it’s time for us all to unite with the passion we saw during the Euros. No child should go hungry, no child should be starting 20 yards behind any other just because of the community they live in. It’s time to level up.