Free school meals plan shows Lib Dems have a tortured view of the state

There’s plenty of fun to be had with the Lib Dems’ decision to give all infant school children free school meals. Firstly there are the letters from MPs like Simon Hughes slating the policy (the Southwark MP told constituents that his local council was ‘spending £15 million giving free school meals, some of this going to the borough’s richest families, irrespective of whether they can afford to pay for them already’).

And then there’s the fact that the party has attacked universalism on a number of other fronts, most notably the winter fuel payment, which Nick Clegg and colleagues say is a waste of money as it goes to rich pensioners who don’t need it, and child benefit for higher earners. So the Lib Dems are now in the tortured position of believing that winter fuel payment is bad because a wealthy older man can spend it on fine wine as he is perfectly capable of cover his own heating bills, but at the same time giving a £400 annual saving to mothers who are perfectly capable of sending their children to school with smoked salmon sandwiches in their packed lunches.