Apprenticeships minister repeats lies about free school meal vouchers

Gillian Keegan, apprenticeships and skills minister and Conservative MP for the town, has spoken to the Chichester Observer about her vote against extending free school meals into the Christmas holidays.

The newspaper reports her as saying she is

aware of reports in other parts of the country of schools, supermarkets and parents raising concerns that vouchers were not always used to provide food.

She may be aware of such reports, but they will be false. The vouchers can only be used to pay for food and groceries.

I shall be charitable and assume she is ill informed rather than being deliberately deceitful.

Note too her reference to "other part of the country". Is she saying that, while people in the South of England can be trusted, this is not the case further north?