Labour MP Ian Byrne has urged football supporters to back a legal Right to Food, as fans of Liverpool and Manchester City came together before Sunday's match at Anfield to collect donations for local food banks.
Volunteers from Fans Supporting Foodbanks collected food and donations around the ground before kick-off, with supporters of both clubs standing united behind the campaign. Representatives of Manchester City's fan food bank initiative joined the Liverpool collection.
Ian Byrne: 'Hunger is a political choice'
The Liverpool West Derby MP, who co-founded the fan food bank movement, said: "Before kick-off, supporters from both clubs will stand united for the right to food."
He urged anyone attending to give what they could, adding: "Hunger is a political choice, and we can choose to end hunger."
He described the visiting fans' involvement as "Rivals on the pitch, united in fan solidarity off it."
Meeting the UN
The matchday collection followed a meeting on Friday between Ian Byrne and Sofía Monsalve Suárez, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Right to Food.
Alongside his fellow commissioners on the Right to Food Commission, the MP discussed the commission's report and roadmap with the UN official. He said: "It was wonderful to hear Sofía's support for our work and to discuss how we can collaborate to make the Right to Food a reality across the UK."
The campaign
The Right to Food campaign calls for access to adequate, affordable food to be enshrined in UK law, placing a duty on government to tackle food insecurity. Ian Byrne is the parliamentary lead on the campaign, which has been backed by trade unions, councils and food poverty organisations.
Fans Supporting Foodbanks began as a joint initiative of Liverpool and Everton supporters, and collections now take place at grounds across the country.
