JAMIE Oliver should be given a knighthood, according to Steve Sinnott, the general secretary of the National Union of Teachers.

The TV chef certainly deserves national praise for his efforts in forcing the Government to act over the scandal of food in schools.

Oliver has used his celebrity status to single-handedly push the Government into a corner, leaving it with no other option but to invest heavily in school meals across the country.

It was announced yesterday that an extra £280m is to be provided over the next three years, with a minimum of 50p spent on each primary school lunch. It is still not enough, of course, but it is significantly better than the 37p now being spent in some schools.

Naturally, the Government insists it was already planning to target the price of school meals as a matter of urgency. Education Secretary Ruth Kelly had, of course, identified the issue as a personal priority three months ago.

Call us cynical, but we are left to wonder why nothing had been said about the Government's good intentions until a celebrity chef shamed it into action.

And surprise, surprise, we also now discover that shadow education secretary Tim Collins will soon unveil his own plans to spend "at least as much as the Government". He probably thought of it three months before Ruth Kelly.

We disagree with Steve Sinnott. Sir Jamie isn't such a good idea. If he can galvanise the country into such swift and effective action, perhaps he should be Prime Minister instead.