Tory means tests will see a million poor children miss out on free school meals, a charity warns.

The flagship Universal Credit system will result in free meals being lost when a family earns more than £7,400.

The Children’s Society fears this will mean work will not always pay and families will be better off making less.

It said a one-child family would have to earn £1,124 a year extra to make up from the meals loss and a three-child family £3,582.

Labour and teachers’ union leaders fear the move will damage pupils and cause “huge distress” to families.

(Image: Daily Mirror)

The charity’s chief Matthew Reed said the Government could ensure poor children do not go hungry at school but “at least one million children will miss out if this change is introduced”.

He said: “If the Government wants to show it is truly committed to tackling the growing crises of inequality and child poverty, delivering free school meals for children in low-income working families is a crucial step.”

Debbie Abrahams MP, the Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, said: “Labour will introduce universal free school meals, to end the scandal of ­children going hungry at school. The Conservatives are failing to tackle child poverty, refusing to even commit to a reduction target, and holding our ­children back.

“We need to make sure that work always pays and this proposal does nothing of the sort.”

In London an estimated 212,000 ­children would miss out on free school meals, 130,000 in the West Midlands, 130,000 in the North West and 37,500 in the North East.

Dr Mary Bousted, joint general ­secretary of the National Education Union, said: “Taking away free school meals for ­families on Universal Credit is an unnecessary and damaging move that will cause huge distress and problems.”

This year teachers reported a huge rise in “school holiday hunger” as poor pupils return to class with signs of malnutrition.

A Department for Education spokesman disputed the figures. He said: “Over 50,000 more children will be entitled to free school meals through our eligibility proposals following the rollout of Universal Credit.

“It’s right we make sure this support reaches children from the most ­disadvantaged families and we’re consulting on this issue.”