We can create the future we want, starting today. 

No one wants a child to go without food, to feel the pangs of hunger, let alone starve to death. Hunger is a political choice and we know change is possible. 

In our globally networked world, domestic and foreign policy choices both play a role in keeping affordable, healthy food on the table. It takes thousands of humans from far flung corners of the Earth, often unknown to each other, to cooperate within an enormous system to get a banana, say, or a kilo of flour from farm to table. Because the food we eat is so globally connected, and so dependent on a stable climate, this Mother’s Manifesto and call to action on food insecurity necessarily includes requests for domestic policy, foreign policy and systems-wide interventions.

We believe it's possible to cooperate nationally, internationally and economically to create a world in which all children thrive because they have enough healthy food to eat. Our food systems can be good for our environment, socially just and rooted in the principle of care for each other. 

We are therefore calling on the UK government to: 

IN THE UK: MAKE SURE ALL CHILDREN HAVE ENOUGH TO EAT

LINK UNIVERSAL CREDIT TO INFLATION AND THE COST OF LIVING

• Commit to an annual inflation-linked increase.

• Guarantee that UC will cover the cost of essentials.

• Scrap the two child limit and the benefits cap.

ENSURE THAT NO CHILD GOES HUNGRY THROUGH THE PROVISION OF NUTRITIOUS, UNIVERSAL

FREE SCHOOL MEALS FOR ALL STATE SCHOOL CHILDREN

• Apply this across the country, in all primary and secondary schools.

• Ensure that all school meals meet the government’s own Eatwell nutritional

• standards.

CREATE A NATIONAL LAND USE FRAMEWORK THAT IS GEARED TOWARDS A JUST FOOD SYSTEM

• Restore the natural environment.

• Boost domestic food production.

• Support farmers and growers through the transition to nature-friendly agriculture.

PROVIDE THE PUBLIC WITH CLEAR INFORMATION ON HOW EATING HEALTHY FOOD SUPPORTS BOTH HUMAN AND PLANETARY HEATLH

• Initiate a government-led campaign providing clear, accessible information on the links between food security, human health and environmental health.

• Provide financial support for community initiatives across the UK that are working to make good food accessible to all.

• Ban all advertising of Ultra Processed Foods and prevent food corporations from having lobbying access to government departments.

REFORM TAX TO FUND CHANGE

• Introduce a 2% wealth tax on assets over £10 million, to raise £24 billion a year.

• Equalise capital gains tax with income tax to ensure income from wealth is taxed the same as income from work. This could raise £12 billion a year.

AROUND THE WORLD: IMPLEMENT GLOBAL POLICIES OF CARE

KEEP OUR PROMISES ON AID

• Recommit 0.7% of Gross National Income to overseas aid.

• Ring fence the core objectives of Official Development Assistance so they remain focused on reducing poverty, increasing welfare and supporting sustainable economic development beyond the UK.

• Ensure the aid budget prioritises the financially poorest and climate vulnerable nations, and backs projects that impact their long term stability.

• Build a humane and efficient asylum system that provides dignity to those seeking shelter in the UK and enables them to build a new life.

KEEP OUR COMMITMENT ON CLIMATE AND USE OUR INFLUENCE TO INCREASE AMBITION GLOBALLY

• Deliver our fair share on climate finance to invest proportionally in a just transition, funded via a Polluters Pay carbon tax on high emitting industry.

• Bring emission cuts in line with the Paris Agreement for all sectors as well as imports and exports.

• Go beyond Net Zero in recognition that carbon capture and storage (CCS) are unproven technologies providing a false sense of security, reducing both urgency and scale.

• Invest in rapid decarbonisation across all sectors and reverse plans which renege on our climate commitments, such as Rosebank, airport expansion and blue hydrogen CCS.

CANCEL DEBT TO ENABLE CLIMATE MITIGATION AND ADAPTATION

• Introduce debt justice legislation that forces private creditors to offer fair and timely relief to countries in crisis.

• Reform the International Monetary Fund so that it prioritises human rights and the real development needs of families when assessing debt.

• Support the creation of a global debt registry.

• Put in place automatic mechanisms to cancel debt payments when a country faces catastrophic events.

APPLY SANCTIONS WHERE FOOD IS WEAPONISED

• Apply sanctions to all governments that break international law by restricting access to food and imposing starvation on civilian populations. This includes halting the sale of all arms.

• Make peacebuilding and the prevention and resolution of conflict, central to foreign policy.

Why is this so important now? 

Here in the UK we had 50% less poverty in the 1970s. World hunger was in decline until 2014, having reduced by a third since 2005. This is the future reality we are calling for where hunger is in decline and every child has access to a nutritious diet which meets their needs. 

Mothers will go to extraordinary lengths to protect their children. In the UK 1 in 4 households with children are facing food insecurity, skipping meals and going hungry in order to feed their children. In 2022 there were 4.2 million children below the poverty line and around a million  living in destitution.  We have some of the most severe food insecurity in all of Europe.  As the sixth largest economy in the world, this is not something to be proud of. 

The situation is worse globally, with severe hunger and malnutrition putting 14 million children at risk of death, and being the cause of 45% of all child mortality for those under 5 years old.. Women and children have been shown to be the most impacted, and the UN has warned that progress on nutrition has gone into reverse. 

Mothers Manifesto calls for immediate action that upholds the human right to ‘available, accessible and adequate food’, as defined by the United Nations.

Food security is a growing issue and one we need to address urgently, as its impact accelerates due to the climate crisis. Extreme weather events are affecting key crops and driving up the cost of food globally, as well as causing the displacement of millions of people.

We welcome the Labour Government's policies on climate, which include two of our demands, namely the end to new oil and gas licences and the pledge to scrap the Investment Allowance, a tax loophole worth billions to oil and gas companies and their shareholders. This, as well as investing in retrofitting homes and a national green energy strategy, will help to address the climate crisis whilst lowering bills. However, the Government’s announcement of £22 billion in funding for new blue hydrogen carbon capture and storage (CCS) goes back on these promises, and represents a step backwards in our climate commitments. Research has shown that blue hydrogen’s warming impact is worse than coal - this must not go ahead.

Food security is a complex issue and we call on the Government to develop and implement  a strategy to bring resilience and food justice to all aspects of our food systems. This would include protective and restorative measures for nature including water, soil and biodiversity.  

Any national food strategy needs to also consider the impact of food importation on the environment and both local and global food security. 

Without rapid and positive action to address food security, food insecurity will escalate with devastating consequences. Decisive and bold action can change this.

GET INVOLVED

What’s next? 

On Mother’s Day 2025, we are uniting to demand action. We will be on Hunger Strike outside Parliament for 5 days, supported by 24hr regional hunger strikes. We stand in solidarity with all those unable to feed themselves and their children, and to highlight the reality of so many here in the UK and globally and in recognition that this is a social, racial and climate justice issue. Our strikes also aim to amplify the work and calls for action of many other organisations including The Right To Food Campaign, Food Foundation, Trussell Trust, Joseph Rowntree Foundation, Oxfam and many more.

As mothers we have a powerful voice. Join us with yours, for any of the 5 days outside Parliament, or for our 24hr regional strikes. Find out more about our actions and contact us for more information on how to get involved. 

Follow us on social media for more campaign updates and information on how to support. 

Mothers can be the change that brings about that world, starting now.

 We know that we can make a difference, and that with unwavering determination, we can create a world in which no child goes hungry.