Badenoch backs UN disability convention and right to independent living… but only in Wales

Conservative leader Kemi Badenoch has backed calls to incorporate the UN disability convention into law and to introduce a right to independent living for disabled people… but only in Wales.

Her party has long resisted both policies, and today (Thursday) the UK Conservative party confirmed that it was only supporting the introduction of both policies in Wales.

The manifesto published by the Welsh Conservatives for next month’s Senedd elections – which is endorsed in an introduction by Badenoch (pictured) – includes both policies.

It says that a Welsh Conservative government would “[i]ncorporate the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities into Welsh law”.

It also promises to “[e]mbrace the Social Model of Disability and the right to Independent Living, providing disabled people voice, choice, control and independence in their lives”.

Both policies are long-standing demands of the UK disabled people’s movement.

The policies were underlined this week by Senedd candidate Toby Jones, who is standing for the Welsh Conservatives in the new Casnewydd Islwyn constituency on 7 May.

He told a Senedd hustings event organised by Disability Wales on Tuesday that his party’s approach was “rooted in the social model of disability”, and that a Welsh Conservative government would “incorporate the UN convention into Welsh law, which would raise the profile of these rights across every department of Welsh government” and force ministers to consider disabled people’s rights in every piece of legislation.

He added: “Our manifesto embraces the right of independent living, providing disabled people voice, choice, control and independence.”

He said this was “about ensuring people have the right to live in their own communities”, rather than autistic people and people with learning difficulties being locked away in hospital settings.

Four other major parties standing for the Senedd elections have also backed incorporating the UN convention into Welsh law, with varying degrees of clarity (see separate story), while Reform UK appears to stand alone in resisting the policy.

The Welsh Conservatives’ manifesto commitment on independent living contrasts sharply with the UK Conservative party’s manifesto for the 2024 general election, which promised only a “multi-year funding settlement to support social care”, and a repetition of its much-delayed pledge to implement a cap on care charging costs.

It also contrasts with the record of Conservative-led UK governments, which have been heavily-criticised for their record on independent living by the UN committee on the rights of persons with disabilities.

Last year, the Equality and Human Rights Commission said the UK government had failed for more than seven years to act on a 2017 call by the UN committee to recognise disabled people’s right to live independently and be included in the community.

In 2017 – after seven years of Tory-led governments – one UN committee member told the UK government that it was “going backwards” on independent living,

Two years ago, the Conservative government was criticised by cross-party MPs for failing to send a representative to the UN in Geneva for a public examination of its progress since being found guilty of grave and systematic violations of the UN convention.

The Commons women and equalities committee said the refusal to attend the meeting in Geneva was “disrespectful to both the UN committee and disabled people” and “sends the wrong message, both nationally and internationally” about the UK’s commitment to upholding the rights of disabled people.

A Tory minister clarified her party’s position on incorporating the UN convention into UK law six years ago, telling a Liberal Democrat peer: “We are fully committed to the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.”

But she added: “The UK as a general principle does not incorporate international treaties into domestic law.”

A spokesperson for the UK Conservative party said this morning (Thursday): “I am happy to clarify this is not UK policy and is only the policy of the Welsh Conservatives.”