• 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 / Labour silent over why it watered down Foxcroft’s criticism of government
Vicky Foxcroft head and shoulders

Labour silent over why it watered down Foxcroft’s criticism of government

By John Pring on 22nd October 2020 Category: Politics

Listen

The Labour party has refused to explain why it watered down strong criticism of the government by its own shadow disability minister.

Last week, Disability News Service revealed that an email mistakenly sent to Disability News Service by a member of Vicky Foxcroft’s staff showed that her original draft comments attacking the government were weakened by someone within the party hierarchy.

The changes made by the party included the removal of a reference to the “vital” role played by trade unions in protecting disabled people from discrimination, while the party also removed any reference to disability discrimination from Foxcroft’s comments.

Responding to new pandemic guidance, Foxcroft (pictured) had also warned that disabled people who might need to shield again needed to be “properly compensated and not left without enough money to survive”, but that call had vanished by the time her draft comments had been amended and approved.

After the story was published, there was widespread concern expressed about the party’s actions on social media.

Steve Paget, president of disAbility Cornwall and Isles of Scilly, said: “What hope do disabled people have, when the opposition water down criticism of prejudice policies that fail to adequately address the myriad of issues disabled people face?”

One autistic campaigner, who tweets at @leoniedelt, said: “This is why I quit @UKLabour – they sure as hell have NOT represented disabled people for the last seven months.”

Another disabled campaigner, who tweets at @Richievilla, said: “Labour seem to think that being slightly less nasty and vindictive than the Tories will mean disabled people will vote for them.

“That isn’t enough for me. They lost my vote last year after I was subjected to ignorance and hostility from my local Labour for daring to challenge them.”

Anita Bellows, a researcher with Disabled People Against Cuts, said: “I am not sure why it was watered, whether there was an intent behind this, or whether somebody along the line thought it was too strong.

“It just shows that disabled people still have a fight on their hands, even within the Labour party.”

A disability rights campaigner who tweets at @mettlesometeri added: “This is extremely concerning.

“Disabled people have endured the biggest cuts to benefits and support leading to thousands of deaths. This is utterly grotesque.”

This week, DNS asked Labour why the comments had been weakened, and who in the party made the decision to water them down.

DNS also asked if Foxcroft’s comments had been regularly weakened by the party since she became shadow minister for disabled people after last December’s general election.

The party ignored the questions before eventually confirming that it had “no further comment to make” following comments made last week by the member of Foxcroft’s staff who mistakenly sent the email.

It also declined to explain how the party justified weakening Foxcroft’s comments.

 

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 Reddit

Tags: Disability Labour Vicky Foxcroft

Related

Anger over Labour’s ‘shameful’ silence on universal credit’s ‘deadly faults’
30th November 2023
King’s speech ‘shows a government failing to prioritise disabled people’
9th November 2023
Disability sidelined by Tory and Labour conference speeches, analysis shows
19th October 2023

Primary Sidebar

Access

Latest Stories

‘Devastating’ dossier shows DWP is in ‘state of crisis’

DWP failings that helped trigger suicide ‘are a national issue’, NHS manager tells coroner

MPs say government’s disability strategy is ‘a strategy in name only’

Disabled people ‘will feel the sharp end’ of Cleverly’s immigration ‘crackdown’

State of accessible transport is ‘unjust and unacceptable’, says report

Report exposes lack of adjustments for neurodivergent prisoners

Anger over ‘incompetence’ and delays within DWP’s Access to Work scheme

Protesters say ‘obscene’ profits from ‘inhuman’ asylum housing conditions must end

Ruth Bashall: Tributes and affection for ‘mighty’ and ‘formidable’ activist

Anger over Labour’s ‘shameful’ silence on universal credit’s ‘deadly faults’

Advice and Information

Readspeaker

Footer

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

  • Accessibility Statement
  • Privacy Policy
  • Site map
  • Facebook
  • Twitter

Copyright © 2023 Disability News Service

Site development by A Bright Clear Web