Politics

April 12, 2018 0

Network neglect leaves government ‘closer to coercion than co-production’

The government’s reputation on disability equality has suffered a further damaging blow, after it admitted that none of the bodies it set up to engage with disabled people and their organisations as part of its disability strategy has met in nearly a year. The Fulfilling Potential Forum, set up “to discuss how disabled people

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Separate picture of David Buxton, Simeon Hart and Emily Brothers campaigning

April 12, 2018 0

Government faces legal action over election access fund

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Three disabled politicians have begun legal action against the government over its failure to reopen a fund that supported Deaf and disabled people with the extra costs of standing for election as MPs. Labour’s Emily Brothers, Liberal Democrat David Buxton and the Green party’s Simeon Hart say the government is breaching the Equality Act

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March 22, 2018 0

Scrapped! Ministers ‘secretly ditch government’s disability strategy’

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The government appears to have scrapped its cross-departmental disability strategy – which was aimed at “improving the lives of disabled people” – and abandoned any idea of replacing it. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) yesterday refused to say what had happened to a review of its Fulfilling Potential strategy, which was announced

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Philip Hammond speaking in the House of Commons

March 15, 2018 0

Spring statement ‘shows disabled people will continue to bear brunt of austerity’

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The chancellor’s spring statement shows that disabled people will continue to bear the brunt of austerity, according to leading user-led organisations. They spoke out after Philip Hammond (pictured) resisted calls to increase funding for adult social care and other public services in this week’s statement. Instead, he suggested that he might increase public spending

Politics

A huge poster for the Labour conference outside the conference centre

March 1, 2018 0

Handbook offers Labour new DEAL on addressing widespread discrimination in the party

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Disabled party activists are hoping a new handbook will force Labour to confront its failure to comply with its legal duties to prevent disability discrimination. Members of the Disability Equality ACT Labour (DEAL) campaign, all Labour members, say the party has repeatedly failed to comply with its duties under the Equality Act. To address

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February 8, 2018 0

Renovations to Houses of Parliament ‘must provide step change in access’

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A disabled peer has told the House of Lords that plans for a major “restoration and renewal” of the Houses of Parliament must ensure a “step change” in the provision of disability access in a building that can be “extremely unwelcoming” to disabled people. Baroness [Sal] Brinton, president of the Liberal Democrats and a

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Emily Brothers speaking at the Cambridge Union

February 1, 2018 0

Labour must act on ‘shameful’ lack of disabled people on NEC, says party activist

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A leading Labour activist has called for action to address disability discrimination within the party and the “shameful” lack of disabled people on its ruling national body. Emily Brothers has told Disability News Service (DNS) that she will be seeking one of nine seats available on Labour’s national executive committee (NEC) for candidates representing

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Sarah Newton speaking in Westminster Hall

January 11, 2018 0

Minister hid judges’ criticism of McVey from MPs, hours after shock appointment

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The minister for disabled people has refused to apologise for misleading MPs about a court of appeal judgment that was highly critical of her new boss, Esther McVey, just a day after her appointment as the new work and pensions secretary. Sarah Newton was responding to a Commons debate on the Independent Living Fund

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Lord Shinkwin speaking in the House of Lords

January 4, 2018 0

Disabled Tory peer says government rejection of pub access plan is an ‘insult’

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A disabled Tory peer has accused his own government of insulting disabled people by rejecting the chance to improve access to pubs, clubs and restaurants. Lord [Kevin] Shinkwin said his party was in danger of “disowning” the laws it introduced through the Disability Discrimination Act (DDA) more than 22 years ago. He was speaking

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Mark Harper speaking in the House of Commons

December 14, 2017 0

DWP allowed just two print interviews with disability minister in five years

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Conservative ministers for disabled people have given fewer than 20 interviews to national print and internet media since the 2010 general election – an average of less than three a year – according to information obtained by Disability News Service (DNS). There were no interviews arranged by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP)

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