Greens sideline disabled people at annual conference

The Green party has been unable to explain why it failed to use its “biggest ever party conference” in Brighton this week to promote any new policies aimed at addressing the many societal barriers facing disabled people.

Analysis of the 12 press releases issued by the party during the conference, including speeches by its leader and deputy leaders, shows not a single mention of policies aimed at disabled people.

There was just one – fleeting – mention of disabled people in one of the press releases, when party leader Zack Polanski (pictured) said in his speech to the conference that the party would “always stand with our LGBTIQA+ communities, with migrants, with disabled people, with everyone who is under attack”.

Deputy leader Mothin Ali made a similarly brief reference to the “two-way link between mental health and unemployment” in his speech to the conference.

But neither of them expanded on those references, or suggested any policies aimed at addressing the barriers disabled people face across poverty, social care, transport, education, housing and employment, or how the party might deal with disability hate crime or address discrimination or attacks on disabled people’s rights.

Policy press releases that were issued focused on the party’s “bold set of economic policies”, “mutualising the BBC”, the National Health Service, food security, nature loss and biodiversity decline, and a three-year emergency brake on private rents, and none of them mentioned disabled people.

Much of the party’s attention appears to have been focused on dealing with the political fallout from its membership’s hugely controversial vote in favour of a motion equating Zionism with racism.

It is important to note that Disability News Service did not attend the conference, as it clashed with the Conservative conference in Birmingham, and it is likely that speeches from other figures in the party – and fringe events – did discuss disabled people and potential disability policies.

The party was unable to explain this week why it failed to make any prominent statements or offer any new policies in its press releases or speeches from its leadership group to address the barriers disabled people face.

But it did say that other motions (PDF) were passed by Green members, including one that called for a stronger Equality Act and another aimed at “combating ableism within the party”.

A Green party spokesperson said: “The Green party has spoken out strongly for the rights of disabled people, and our recent conference committed us to further action.

“We passed motions calling for increased protections in law, and we committed ourselves to a comprehensive plan to tackle potentially ableist processes, procedures and language use in the party wherever these are found.”