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At least six pieces of legislation proposed by the government this week are likely to have a life-changing impact on hundreds of thousands of disabled people if they become law over the next year. The Queen’s speech, delivered by Prince Charles […]
The government is refusing to release information that would show the impact on disabled people and other equality groups of the chancellor’s spending decisions in March’s spring statement. Disabled people reacted with disbelief in March to the chancellor’s “cruel” decision to […]
The government’s failure to include a “specific reference” to disabled people in the draft terms of reference for the public inquiry into the Covid pandemic is a “grave omission” and must be corrected, a disabled MP has told the House of […]
A controversial bill that will recognise British Sign Language (BSL) as a language in England, Scotland and Wales is set to become law after being passed by both Houses of Parliament. BSL-users have been warned that the private members’ bill will […]
Campaigners with learning difficulties have raised serious concerns about a “very weak” and potentially divisive bill that has been approved by parliament and aims to improve support for people with Down syndrome. MPs and peers have approved the government-backed private member’s […]
Four disabled peers have helped defeat attempts to hijack the government’s health and care bill and use it to secure a change in the law to legalise assisted suicide. The Conservative peer Lord Forsyth, a former secretary of state for Scotland, had proposed […]
Keir Starmer has caused anger among disabled activists – including within his own party – after declaring publicly that Labour is “the party of working people”. The Labour leader’s comment, in a speech to Scottish Labour’s annual conference, has reignited concerns […]
A new disability policy thinktank has launched a report that calls for action to tackle the under-representation of disabled people in politics, but without revealing its own close links to the Conservative party. The Disability Policy Centre (DPC) describes itself as […]
Ministers have broken a pledge made in their National Disability Strategy to set up a taskforce of disabled people’s organisations (DPOs) that would help them access more government contracts, by allowing non-user-led charities to join the group. The strategy pledged last […]
Work and pensions secretary Therese Coffey was accused of an “embarrassing” performance in front of MPs yesterday (Wednesday) after she was repeatedly forced to admit she could not remember key aspects of her government’s disability policies. Coffey (pictured) was appearing in […]