Labour has today published a manifesto for disabled people.
“Breaking Down Barriers – Labour’s manifesto for disabled people”, appears to contain little that wasn’t in their manifesto.
However, it does gather together all their policies relating to disabled people in one place.
It includes a range of undertakings on:
- benefits
- public services,
- education,
- employment,
- transport,
- justice and
- housing
The undertakings in relation to benefits have been listed elsewhere on our site, but many readers will agree strongly with the sentiments expressed in the document abut the vilification of claimants:
“The Tories’ cruelty has made the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) a symbol of fear for disabled people. Time and again disabled people have had to fight through the courts to receive the support they are entitled to. The government is having to carry out seven reviews to identify ill and disabled people who were wrongly denied support
“Social security is a right – and people who need to access support should not be vilified as ‘skivers’ or ‘scroungers’. Labour will rebuild our social security system so that it is there to support all of us when we need it. This will mean changing the culture of the DWP, which we will start on day one by replacing it with a Department for Social Security that is supportive and enabling, instead of demonising people not in paid employment.”
How easy these aspirations would be to turn into reality is another issue entirely.
You can download a copy of “Breaking Down Barriers – Labour’s manifesto for disabled people” here.
