THE government voted against the Labour Party's motion to extend the free school meals scheme over the winter break.

The motion called for the scheme to be extended over school holidays until Easter 2021 and was defeated by 261 votes to 322 – a majority of 61.

Both Swindon MPs, Robert Buckland and Justin Tomlinson, voted against the measure.

Adver readers had a lot to say on the matter, with many shocked by the decision but some supporting it.

SUZANNE HISCOCK: "No child should ever go hungry."

ANA MELO: "How can someone reject this?"

CHARLOTTE MURRAY: "Shocking! Why would you even think letting children go hungry is good?"

TIMOTHY O'SULLIVAN: "Disgusting. The MPs should be ashamed, but they won't be."

SIMONE BROWN: "Can’t believe this hasn’t been accepted.

"There are so many children going without. Add the pandemic on top of that and you have more and more people struggling.

"People are losing jobs, homes, there's a bigger demand on food banks than ever before. Children shouldn’t have to go hungry."

RACHEL BIJOK: "Shocked. There are so many children and families who depend on those free school meals. This is very sad and. not the sort of cut back that should be considered. This will hit many children hard."

JAMES KENDALL: "If there was money for Eat out to Help Out, there is money for this. It's a matter of priorities.

"The government has made it clear that ensuring kids most in need of food during a pandemic aren't a priority, but those that can afford to spend on a meal out are."

RICHARD MASON: "No free school meals, But free meals in the Commons, funny that."

LAURA HARVEY: "The fact that making sure children are fed in 2020 Britain isn’t a priority sums up perfectly what this country has become."

JON THOMPS: "This is the most horrific government ever, and we are only getting started."

PJ DE BOER: "I feel our government should learn a lesson from New Zealand and take a pay cut. Surely that would help pay for the free school meals they have just denied thousands of children."

GAIL SARGEANT: "Parents do need to take some responsibility for their own kids."

LISA BYRNE: "Parents normally have to feed their kids thru the school holidays anyway."

STUART JACKMAN: "Why are the government all of a sudden responsible for feeding children’s every meal? I’ve been on Universal Credit and worked and always fed my children."

DANIEL DUKE: "Why should the government all of a sudden be responsible for feeding children’s meals? I’ve been working and been on benefits and always been able to feed my children.

"They never used to provide meals for half terms, why should they start now?"

AMY JEFFERIES: "because the current climate has put a lot of people out of jobs through no fault of their own and is causing hardship to many many people. A bit of compassion goes a long way."

BIANCA MASTRODOMENICO: "Cannot get my head around the amount of people on here in favour of letting children from poor families starve.

"How are some supposed to survive? Many are losing their jobs or being put on 66 per cent of their minimum wage pay. Show some compassion please. Just because you managed it doesn't mean everyone else can."