Marcus Rashford’s book club is ‘fantastic’ says Downing Street

Boris Johnson and Marcus Rashford
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Boris Johnson has praised Marcus Rashford’s book club for children as “fantastic".

Following his successful free school meals campaign, the England footballer has teamed up with Macmillan Children's Books to promote reading and literacy.

Launching the project the 23-year-old Manchester United star said books were “never a thing we could budget for as a family”. 

The project plans to give away lots of books to children from vulnerable and under-privileged backgrounds.

Downing Street welcomed the initiative on Tuesday after clashing with the footballer over his free school meals campaign.

Rashford has managed to force the Government into two U-turns over child food poverty during the coronavirus pandemic. 

The Government’s latest package includes a £170m Covid winter grant scheme to support vulnerable families and an extension of the holiday activities and food programme to school holidays next year.

The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said: “It is fantastic that Marcus Rashford is shining a light on the power that books have and we welcome his book club allowing more children to benefit from the enjoyment which books bring.”

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