• 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 / Human Rights / Fresh fears on rights as Tory MEPs vote against anti-discrimination laws
The debating chamber of the European parliament in Strasbourg

Fresh fears on rights as Tory MEPs vote against anti-discrimination laws

By John Pring on 22nd May 2015 Category: Human Rights

Listen

Fresh doubts have been cast on the Conservative government’s commitment to human rights and the UN disability convention, after the party’s MEPs voted against calls for new European laws that would protect disabled people from discrimination.

All but three of the Tories’ 21 MEPs voted against the amendment – the other three did not vote – which supported the long-standing call for a European Union (EU) anti-discrimination directive.

Such a directive would protect against discrimination in healthcare, education, and in accessing goods and services such as housing, transport and insurance.

The amendment, which was passed yesterday (Wednesday) by 566 votes to just 84, with 26 MEPs abstaining, “deplores” the lack of progress by the European Council – the leaders of EU member states – on bringing forward the directive, and urges member states to “work towards the adoption of a common position without any further delay”.

The European Council has been blocking the directive for the last seven years.

Concern about the new Conservative government’s commitment to human rights have been growing since the party’s general election manifesto pledged to scrap the Human Rights Act and replace it with a British bill of rights, but refused to say which existing rights might be at risk.

Conservative ministers had already been criticised over the last five years for attacks on equality law and sweeping cuts to the budget of the equality watchdog, and there are fears that a Conservative majority government – without its former Liberal Democrat coalition partners to act as a moderating force – will renew that assault.

All 20 Labour MEPs voted to support the directive this week, as did the three Green MEPs and the single Liberal Democrat MEP.

The 13 UKIP MEPs who voted all abstained.

A UKIP spokesman said: “The vote was on a non-legislative, and non-binding resolution, which is basically the European parliament voicing an opinion on the subject. 

“UKIP holds that the House of Commons,  answerable to the British people, is where we should decide legislation and make our people’s wishes heard, be they disabled or able-bodied.”

He added later: “We abstained because on the recorded vote, whilst we want anti-discrimination laws and want to protect disabled people, we could not vote in favour of EU laws.

“However, we did not vote against as we support the idea in principle but would prefer nation states to do it.”

The vote on the equal treatment directive had followed a wider debate on the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, with a resolution calling for its full implementation by the EU.

But a vote on that resolution was not recorded electronically, and was passed on a show of hands, and so it was not possible to confirm which way either the Conservative or UKIP MEPs voted.

A spokesman for the Conservative MEPs in the European parliament failed to comment in time for Disability News Service’s deadline.

The European Disability Forum welcomed the resolution on the UN convention, and on the anti-discrimination directive, which it said was an “essential part of implementing the UN convention”.

Picture: Debating chamber of the European parliament in Strasbourg by Jeff Owen Photos is licensed under http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en

Share this post:

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

Tags: Conservative Party European parliament human rights MEPs UKIP UNCRPD

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

Two terminally-ill women to complain to UN over passage of assisted dying bill through parliament
15th May 2025
Activists will protest over government’s refusal to engage with ‘deep-rooted’ mental health bill concerns
20th March 2025
Disability minister is ‘drawing up a list’ of potential actions to address barriers
23rd 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

‘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

Silence from MP sister of Rachel Reeves over suicide linked to PIP flaws, just as government was seeking cuts

Disabled people receiving care were ‘ignored by design’ during the pandemic, Covid inquiry hears

Disabled activists warn Labour MPs who vote for cuts: ‘The gloves will be off’

GB News says it has nothing to apologise for, after guest suggests starving disabled benefit claimants

SEND inspections find services in just one in four areas usually lead to ‘positive’ outcomes for disabled children

Disabled MP who quit government over benefit cuts tells DNS: ‘The consequences will be devastating’

Disabled peers plan to ‘amend, amend, amend, amend, amend’ after assisted dying bill reaches Lords

Minister finally admits that working-age benefits spending is stable, despite months of ‘spiralling’ claims

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