The National:

WHAT could possibly be more important than making sure children don’t go hungry?

It’s not a question we thought we'd have to contemplate, but you can’t rule anything out under this Tory Government.

Boris Johnson and his ministers have finally caved in to demands to reconsider plans not to extend a free school meal voucher scheme through the summer.

Children in Scotland and Wales will continue to receive help from the scheme in August, but in England it was set to be replaced with a more general £63m fund for councils.

READ MORE: Free school meals extended in Scotland over the summer – here's what we know

Number 10 has since announced a U-turn, pledging a £120 million Covid voucher scheme for 1.3m vulnerable children. It seemingly took footballer Marcus Rashford’s highly publicised campaign to force the UK Government’s hand, so what exactly was stopping them in the first place?

Asked by ITV to explain what could possibly be more important than ensuring a child has a meal, Transport Secretary Grant Shapps stunned viewers with his response.

"Well, providing a cancer operation,” he replied, before claiming that he did not mean the decision was not an “either or”.

Asked if he was suggesting that we face a choice between feeding a child and having a cancer operation, Shapps said: “There is no play-off between one and the other, both of those things are important.”

READ MORE: DWP Secretary slammed for 'heartless' reply to concerns for children in poverty

The reviews of the Tory minister’s performance weren’t great.

“Shame. This shows how out of touch and tone-deaf this government is,” one social media user wrote.

Another added: “The government do not care about the most vulnerable or poorest. Let's not forget that all of us are only a few steps from being in need and so we have to protect those who are. Being given a meal is a BASIC human right for anyone and to take this away from children is an outrage.”

READ MORE: Boris Johnson makes school meals U-turn after Marcus Rashford campaign

A different comment read: “Transport Secretary here attempting to do a handbrake turn in fast moving traffic as he realises he's just said that children starving is OK providing you spend the money on removing a tumour.”

“How can this be a real interview?” asked a Twitter user, “I cannot tell you the difference that extending FSM would have made on my life when I was on them at school. Feeding starving children is not a controversial issue!”