Criticism of national food box scheme emerges from Reform MP
Reform MP Danny Kruger has condemned his colleague Robert Jenrick’s programme of delivering free food boxes to shielding households during the Covid-19 pandemic, describing them as “revolting” and “unhealthy,” reports BritPanorama.
Speaking on a panel at Reform’s annual conference last week, former Tory MP Kruger, tasked with overseeing his party’s preparations for government, argued that food boxes “should have been organised locally” rather than by the government.
The initiative to deliver free food boxes to vulnerable residents shielding from the virus was announced on 29 March 2020 by then-Secretary of State for Housing, Communities and Local Government, Robert Jenrick, who has since defected to Reform along with Kruger and currently serves as the party’s Treasury spokesperson.
At the time, Jenrick described the programme as “an incredible achievement,” noting that more than a million parcels were delivered in the first six weeks of the national lockdown.
Both Kruger and Jenrick were Conservative MPs during the pandemic before joining Reform UK. Kruger claimed at the conference that the Conservative government’s pandemic response was “rubbish,” suggesting that the government quickly expanded its role in areas that should have been managed by the community, citing the food boxes as a prime example.
During the first lockdown, the government distributed five million food parcels to 450,000 vulnerable people. Reflecting on this scheme, Kruger asserted: “The tragedy of Covid was there was a moment in which the government basically said to communities, ‘please can you step forward and help.’” However, he noted that once the government regained its footing, it began to assume responsibilities better suited to community efforts.
He further criticized the implementation of the scheme, recalling, “I mean, the simplest, best example of that is the food for the shielding families, do you remember, the shielding households, elderly people mostly. That could’ve been organised locally.”
He described the government’s response as involving a national food distribution centre that relied on large food service companies delivering what he termed “revolting, unhealthy food across the country” in an inefficient manner. “Disempowering, unhealthy,” he remarked, suggesting the government missed an opportunity to empower local communities.
In a statement back in 2020, Jenrick had hailed the program’s effectiveness, stating: “This week, another significant milestone has been achieved with one million food packages delivered to those most at risk from the virus.”
Kruger has previously highlighted the positive aspects of community spirit during lockdown and authored the report ‘Levelling Up Our Communities: Proposals for a New Social Covenant.’ He argues that Covid-19 has both “exacerbated our social & economic injustices” and exposed the strength of community networks during challenging times.
As discussions surrounding food security and government intervention continue, Kruger’s remarks reflect an ongoing debate within UK politics regarding the role of government versus local communities in addressing societal needs.
