Support from across UK for CEO who turned down MBE over government ‘demonisation’ of disabled people

Disabled people across the country have backed the chief executive of a disability organisation after she turned down an MBE because of how successive governments have “demonised, dehumanised and scapegoated” disabled people.

Tressa Burke, founding chief executive of the disabled people’s organisation Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA), received a letter from the UK government on the day of the budget, 26 November, telling her she would be awarded an MBE in the new year honours for services to disabled people.

But in her response to that letter – released on social media on 30 December – she said she could not accept such a “personal honour” at a time when disabled people were being “so dishonoured”.

Burke told Disability News Service (DNS) this week that she had been left in tears and “blown away” by the reaction to her decision to turn down the MBE from disabled people across the UK, both in emails and on social media.

She said this response had shown her that rejecting her MBE had left other disabled people – and disabled people’s organisations – “feeling heard”.

In her letter to the government, Burke highlighted “unfair, inadequate and inaccessible work”, “barriers to securing work”, inadequate benefit levels, and rising disability-related costs.

She said the “political choices” made in November’s budget had “supercharged the inequalities and unfairness disabled people face” while the budget was “another missed opportunity to make real changes which would have improved disabled people’s lives”.

Burke pointed to the “horrendous impacts” of 15 years of austerity, the Covid pandemic, and the cost-of-living crisis.

And she said GDA had lost hundreds of its members since the start of the pandemic, some of them by suicide, with some of these deaths caused by policy failures in poverty, housing, and social care.

Among the UK government’s planned changes to social security, she highlighted increased face-to-face assessments for personal independence payment, the halving and freezing of the health element of universal credit for most new claimants from April, and “unfair and unjust” changes to Motability, including tax changes that will add hundreds of pounds to upfront payments to cars leased through the scheme.

Burke said in her letter that the budget lacked commitments on social care, accessible housing and transport, education and wheelchair services, omissions which would “deepen existing inequalities and leave disabled people facing exclusion, isolation, homelessness and unsafe care levels”.

She said she had been forced to decline the MBE because of the lack of progress in addressing injustice and inequality and the impact of the budget which had left disabled people feeling “criticised, condemned and brutalised”.

In response to the letter, there was a flood of support praising her “profound act of leadership” and “courage and grit”.

Burke told DNS that she had been “completely taken aback” by the support from disabled people and allies across the country.

One disabled person told her that rejecting the MBE was “absolutely the right thing to do” at such a “terrible time” when there was a “government that has done so much not just to dishonour disabled people but to whip up anger against us and remove essential support on which so many depend”.

Another said it was “no time for medals and honours while disabled people are experiencing one of the worst attack on their existence and quality of life that I’ve seen in my lifetime”, while another said: “I’m writing to congratulate Tressa on her refusal to accept an honour from the UK government which continues to do all it can to make the lives of those with long term health issues and disabilities as difficult and miserable as possible.”

Another disabled person said: “I wanted to express my deep gratitude and respect.

“I’m a disabled person and it’s so nice to see someone being honest about the situation, bringing more awareness about the reality of our lives, and sticking up for what is right.

“It gives me hope.”

Others praised her “moral stance” and “rare and inspiring” integrity, and for sending “a strong message to Westminster and also to all people experiencing the impact of the punitive measures”.

Another said: “Disabled people face a maelstrom of negative media coverage, discrimination and downright hate and you and GDA members have been at the forefront of telling disabled people’s truth to those in power.

“So sincere respect Tressa and solidarity with your statement.”

And an autistic campaigner told Burke through the social media network LinkedIn: “The national narratives on so called over diagnosis, cuts to PIP, changes to Access To Work are chilling.

“I find it triggering and am in the 30 per cent who are… lucky enough to have paid work.

“Unless you live this I don’t think anyone gets how incredibly challenging 2025 was for us.”

Picture: Tressa Burke previously being interviewed by BBC Scotland