The UK is failing on hunger — Labour must put the right to food into law

Daily Mirror

20-05-2025

Today's new figures from Trussell on food bank use should shake every one of us — particularly those in positions of power — out of any complacency. Almost 3 million emergency food parcels were provided by food banks to people facing hunger in the past year – equivalent to one parcel every 11 seconds. This is a 51 per cent increase compared to five years ago.
Every 11 seconds, a food parcel. Every 11 seconds, a failure of government. Behind each of these parcels is a person or family facing hunger in one of the wealthiest countries in the world. We are living through a national emergency where hunger is the daily reality for millions, including working families, children, and disabled people.
This is not just a social crisis. It is a profound human rights failure. Food banks, once a short-term emergency response, have become embedded into the UK's social fabric.
At the heart of this crisis is a fundamental failure to treat access to food as a basic right. That's why we believe the Labour movement must take bold, rights-based action to end food poverty — starting with recognising the right to food in domestic law.
In March, the United Nations Committee on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights (CESCR) issued a damning set of recommendations to the UK Government. It found that the UK is falling far short of its international human rights obligations — with food insecurity and hunger among the most urgent concerns. Crucially, the Committee called on the UK ensure that the economic, social and cultural rights — including the right to food — are given full legal effect, and to adopt a comprehensive food strategy that prioritises dignity and equity.
These recommendations didn't come out of nowhere. They are grounded in evidence from communities, campaigners and legal experts who are witnessing daily, the ways in which hunger is not just widespread but systemic.
That is why we are joining forces — as a Labour MP leading the Right to Food campaign in Parliament, and as a domestic human rights organisation working to embed economic, social and cultural rights in UK law — to call on the Labour Party to act decisively on poverty and hunger.
The Right to Food campaign, backed by city councils, faith groups, trade unions and supporters across the country, is built on a simple truth: food is not a commodity or a reward for hard work. It is a fundamental human right. In one of the richest countries in the world, no one should be going hungry. And when they do, it reflects political choices — not individual failure.
We are calling for three concrete steps:
This would ensure public bodies have a duty to uphold access to adequate, nutritious and culturally appropriate food — and that individuals have recourse if their rights are denied. It would also create a vital accountability mechanism for government decisions that impact food access.
A joined-up strategy must go beyond agriculture and markets. It must address the drivers of food poverty: low incomes, inadequate social security, insecure housing, and cuts to local services. Any credible plan must be shaped by the lived experience of those most affected.
Labour must champion a framework that recognises rights to food, but also housing, education, health, social security, and decent work. Without this foundation, efforts to tackle poverty and inequality will remain piecemeal and vulnerable to rollback.
There is a growing movement across Parliament that recognises this. MPs from across the party have raised questions on the UN CESCR's findings. In the communities we serve, the appetite for change is clear. The task now is to match that with political will.
The Labour government must rise to this challenge. It was elected on the with the pledge 'to end mass dependence on emergency food parcels, which is a moral scar on our society,' so now is the time to act. That means rejecting the normalisation of hunger. It means ending the indignity of food banks. And it means recognising that access to food — like healthcare or education — is not optional. It is a fundamental human right. Labour has a chance to turn compassion into law — and it must seize it.
We know this won't be easy. But it's what justice demands — and it's what our communities deserve. The UK was once a global leader in building a welfare state that protected people from the worst of hardship. We can be that country again.
Let this year's food bank figures be the turning point in tackling hunger.
Ian Byrne is the Labour MP for Liverpool West Derby and Alex Firth is an advocacy officer at Just Fair.