• Skip to main content
  • Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer
  • About DNS
  • Subscribe to DNS
  • Advertise with DNS
  • Support DNS
  • Contact DNS

Disability News Service

the country's only news agency specialising in disability issues

  • Home
  • Independent Living
    • Arts, Culture and Sport
    • Crime
    • Education
    • Employment
    • Housing
    • Transport
  • Activism & Campaigning
  • Benefits & Poverty
  • Politics
  • Human Rights
You are here: Home / Politics / Election 2019: Brexit Party ignores disabled people in manifesto ‘contract’
Nigel Farage head and shoulders

Election 2019: Brexit Party ignores disabled people in manifesto ‘contract’

By John Pring on 28th November 2019 Category: Politics

Listen

The Brexit party has almost completely ignored disability issues in its election manifesto, with not a single mention of disabled people.

The party’s general election offer to voters, which it insists is a “contract” rather than a manifesto, provides almost no detail on any of its policies.

Despite that lack of detail, its housing policy appears to be designed to aggravate the accessible housing crisis.

The manifesto says the party would “simplify the planning and development processes” and introduce “more flexibility on the size and type of units as part of a development”.

This would appear to be a call to make it easier for developers to build more homes that are not accessible for disabled people.

The party has refused to clarify whether this means that it wants to make it harder for local authorities to insist on how many new homes would have to be accessible to disabled people.

It also refused to say how it would address the accessible housing crisis.

On social care, the party says only that it would “keep investing” in the “essential and treasured” public service, without offering any suggestion for how much investment it would provide or how it would reform the system.

There is also a pledge to introduce “a new nursing qualification in social care”.

Again, the party has refused to answer any questions on its social care policy.

On social security, the party says universal credit (UC) has “not achieved what was intended and needs to be revisited”.

It claims it wants to see “accelerated payment processes” but then says this would be a “five week maximum”, which appears to be identical to the existing, much-criticised government policy that has been blamed for causing destitution, debt and mental distress, and even the deaths of some claimants.

The party says it would carry out a 12-month review of UC and “bring in reforms within two years”, without suggesting what elements of the system it was concerned about.

And it says it would support “those who have paid into the system” but fails to explain if this means there are other claimants that it would not support.

It refused to clarify this point or to say if it was concerned about the impact of universal credit on disabled people.

Picture: Brexit Party leader Nigel Farage

 

A note from the editor:

Please consider making a voluntary financial contribution to support the work of DNS and allow it to continue producing independent, carefully-researched news stories that focus on the lives and rights of disabled people and their user-led organisations.

Please do not contribute if you cannot afford to do so, and please note that DNS is not a charity. It is run and owned by disabled journalist John Pring and has been from its launch in April 2009.

Thank you for anything you can do to support the work of DNS…

Share this post:

Share on X (Twitter)Share on FacebookShare on WhatsAppShare on RedditShare on LinkedIn

Tags: Brexit Party Disability general election 2019 Nigel Farage

A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Related

Shock of activists as disability minister ignores disabled woman who collapsed on floor after cuts meeting
29th May 2025
Reform silence after Farage suggests again that he favours sweeping cuts to disability benefits
1st May 2025
Universal credit barriers mean disabled women face ‘terrifying’ risk of destitution, MPs are warned 
30th January 2025

Primary Sidebar

On the left of the image are multiple heads of different colours - white, aqua, red, light brown, and dark green - all grouped together, then the words ‘Campaign for Disability Justice. Sign up to support. #OpportunitySecurityRespect’
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Access

Latest Stories

Government ignores warnings of new DWP deaths, and UN intervention, as MPs pass universal credit cuts bill

Urgent letter from UN to Labour government warns: We think your cuts continue Tory attack on disability rights

Race against time to secure DWP deaths evidence before parliament passes new benefit cuts bill

‘Complete shift in thinking’ needed on education of disabled children, says ALLFIE

Minister ignored concerns from disabled advisers, months before publishing cuts bill

Frustration after government only issues partial ban on new floating bus stops

Report suggests five big ideas that could transform disabled people’s mobility

My new book shows exactly why we need the disability movement, says disabled author

‘Disastrous’ cuts bill that leaves legacy of distrust and distress ‘must be dropped’

Four disabled Labour MPs stand up to government over cuts to disability benefits

Advice and Information

Readspeaker
A photograph shows an audience raising their hands in a BSL sign. The words say: 'BSL Conference 2025. The future starts with us. Leeds 17-18 July. Be part of shaping the future of Deaf cultures and identities. Get 10% off with BDA10'

Footer

The International Standard Serial Number for Disability News Service is: ISSN 2398-8924

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site map
  • Bluesky
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • LinkedIn
  • Threads
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2025 Disability News Service

Site development by A Bright Clear Web