Rashford now joint-favourite to win Sports Personality of the Year Award

Marcus Rashford is now bookmakers' joint-favourite to win this year's BBC Sports Personality of the Year Award after persuading the Government to make a U-turn on free school meals.

The England and Manchester United star has spearheaded a campaign that has raised £20million to prove three million meals for disadvantaged children during the Covid-19 lockdown.

And now Rashford has forced Prime Minister Boris Johnson into extending a food voucher scheme benefitting 1.3million children over the summer holidays.

Downing Street said on Tuesday the £120m Covid Summer Food Fund was a 'one-off' recognition of the struggles families will face as lockdown dents the economy.

Rashford hailed the news this afternoon, tweeting: 'I don't even know what to say. Just look at what we can do when we come together, THIS is England in 2020.'

And Rashford's outstanding campaigning has now seen him leapfrog Jordan Henderson and Lewis Hamilton to become the 6/4 SPOTY joint-favourite with boxer Tyson Fury, according to Paddy Power.

Hamilton and Henderson are 12/1 to claim the prestigious annual award, voted for by the public, in December.

England cricketer Ben Stokes won it last year following his World Cup and Ashes heroics.

Rashford, 22, was backed in his campaign to extend the free meals programme by a number of Conservative and Labour MPs and former England striker Gary Lineker.