ENGLAND and Manchester United footballer Marcus Rashford MBE voiced his disappointment on Twitter on Wednesday after MPs in the Commons voted against his bid to extend free school meals over the holidays.

North Shropshire MP Owen Paterson and the MP for Clwyd South, Simon Baynes, both voted against the measure.

The pair voted no along with 320 other MPs, as the motion put forward by Labour was defeated by 61 votes.

Mr Rashford MBE urged politicians to “unite” to protect the most vulnerable children and vowed to continue campaigning, writing on Twitter: “For as long as they don’t have a voice, they will have mine.”

Downing Street ruled out performing a late U-turn ahead of the vote, with Boris Johnson also telling Prime Minister’s Questions: “We support kids on low incomes in school and we will continue to do so.

“But the most important thing is to keep them in school and not tear off into another national lockdown taking them out of school.

“We will continue to use the benefits system and all the systems of income to support children throughout the holidays as well.”

Mr Rashford MBE reacted to the result of the vote with a statement he posted on Twitter, alongside the message “time we worked together”.

Reacting to the vote, shadow education secretary Kate Green said: “Boris Johnson and the Conservatives have badly let down more than one million children and their families.

“No child should go hungry over the holidays, but the Government is blocking the action needed to prevent this.

“We pay tribute to Marcus Rashford and others for shining a spotlight on this incredibly important issue.

“This campaign is not over and the Government must reconsider.”