Fourteen years of Tory austerity has deeply harmed disabled people in the UK But under Starmer’s Labour, will things be any different?
Dayna Latham
July marks Disability Pride Month, a time which should be filled with celebration and empowerment. But for disabled people in the UK, who were largely invisible from the manifestos and campaigning of all political parties, that’s been far from their experience.
For the past 14 years, disabled people across Britain have lost out. Austerity politics and cuts to essential funding have meant that disabled people and their families have borne the brunt of the COVID-19 pandemic, and more recently the cost of living crisis. But under Starmer’s Labour, will things be any different?
So far it looks unlikely. Just last week, Disability News Service reported that in the first week of the new government, the only time disabled adults were mentioned is in the context of the “unacceptable” number of people on out of work benefits. This being the only mention of disabled adults, is quite frankly insulting. Disabled people make up roughly a quarter of the UK population, and are the only historically excluded group that anyone can suddenly become at any time in their lives. Since most of us will become disabled at some point, this only makes taking disability issues seriously even more urgent.
Echoing the anti-scrounger narratives that the Conservative party have long embraced, Labour have quickly followed suit, with Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall stating that rising levels of economic inactivity would be top priority. Given that charity Scope calculates that it costs disabled households an average extra £975 a month to live, this approach is not only unfair, but risks pushing disabled people further into poverty.
Disability Rights UK, along with other campaigning organisations, have written to Labour’s new Work and Pensions Secretary, Liz Kendall, asking her to reject Conservative plans to tighten the Work Capability Assessment from 2025. These plans would mean cuts to support of more than £400 a month for 424,000 Disabled People at a time when they vitally need it. They would also lose their protection from being forced to carry-out work-related activity as part of their Universal Credit claim, something that would put their health and wellbeing at risk of harm.
Similarly, new Health Secretary Wes Streeting has said that Labour’s plan to boost economic growth will involve tackling poor mental and physical health, getting more chronically ill and disabled people back into work. Neglecting any mention of meaningfully improving the accessibility of workplaces and public transport, how this will be achieved is unclear. So instead of reassurance, the claimant-blaming culture of previous governments seems set to stay.
Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) are a disability rights collective formed after the 3rd October 2010 mass protests against cuts in Birmingham, England, who now have branches and members across England and Wales. Leading coordinator Linda Burnip, who spoke to Naked Politics, has been instrumental in getting disabled peoples’ voices heard and disabled people represented at the protest and has been invaluable to many since.
They are growing concerned about Labour’s wavering record on disability rights. “They had agreed to incorporate the United Nations Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) into domestic law but renegaded on that promise. [Labour] always about “working people” with no mention of disabled people [who are] unable to work, retired and older people or single parents.” says DPAC’S Linda Burnip, a seasoned disability rights campaigner told Naked Politics.
Despite Labour’s supposed dedication to economic growth, most of the proactive policies around disability they could make would actually generate income, but it seems they are set on entrenching austerity even further. “Changes they could make - such as having a national independent living service like the Independent Living Fund in Scotland - would actually generate income rather than costing money. Many of the changes they seem to be proposing to various disability payments would be likely to lead to greater hospitalisation of disabled people, which would cost more in the longer term.”
It is in this context that Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAC) have arranged a protest, followed by a showcase of disabled people’s creativity, which will take place on Thursday 18th July in London. There will also be events in Liverpool and Leeds on the same day, arranged by DPAC groups local to the areas. “The new government are sworn in [on] July 17th and go into recess July 19th, so we want to ensure they know we’re around and watching them before they slip off for the summer. They need to know we aren’t going away and we will hold them to account.” says Burnip.
Alongside growing frustrations with Labour’s current stance on disability rights, disability campaigners are tired of not being included in the decision-making processes that shape their lives. Disabled People’s Organisations (DPOs) rarely have a seat at decision making tables nationally and locally. In a letter addressed to the new Prime Minister DPO Forum England - which represents more than 350 DPOs across England - have expressed a desire to work with the new government, to “coproduce policies that will have a real impact on our lives”, warning that:
“Your party was elected on a promise of change, and change is exactly what our community has been longing for many years. There are many areas of our lives that have been neglected by the last government. However, we hope you recognise that it is not possible to achieve a fundamental change in our lives without investment in public services.”
As Labour have largely committed themselves to upholding the previous Tory government’s economic policies, it’s unlikely they’ll meet the scale of change needed. A failure to invest in public services will only risk a further slipping of disabled peoples’ living standards. The letter goes on to highlight the key areas that disabled people need investment into. “Accessible homes, good education support, investment in accessible transport, a well-functioning NHS and social care support in the community are vital preconditions to enabling disabled people to work, learn and have a good quality of life.”
Another group working to ensure disability rights are on the agenda in the new government is the Disability Poverty Campaign Group. Led by DPOs Disability Rights UK and Inclusion London – both members of the forum – the group has urged the new government to “tackle the deep poverty experienced by millions of disabled citizens.” Inclusion London have also announced a protest due to go ahead on Monday 29th July, which will focus on accessible and affordable housing demands. DPOs have a tireless summer of action planned across the board, and it’s evident that despite their continued neglect from those in power, they won’t give up.
The commonly heard phrase of Disability activism “nothing about us without us” summarises rather well the policy goals of these various DPOs, who are all hoping to liaise with the new government. How successful their protests and lobbying efforts will be remains to be seen - but a more equitable, more accessible society benefits everybody and would help boost economic prosperity, something Labour have made clear is their priority.
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