Maximising Labour’s Disability Vote

There are over 10 million disabled people in the UK.  Labour has always been better in meeting their needs than the other main parties. Whether in paid work or not, disabled people are twice as likely to experience material hardship. Under the Coalition Government things have got worse for disabled people; according to the Better Politics second year consultation, issued by the Labour Party, “in the final year of the Parliament disabled people will be paying 40 per cent more than the banks to reduce the deficit”.

The Labour Party Disabled Members Group was founded almost 20 years ago and renamed Disability Labour at our AGM in June 2014.  The Group fully supports the social model of disability, which says that it is society’s attitudes and actions (or lack of them) rather than people’s impairments that disable them.  We are set up to provide a platform for disabled people in the Labour Party, promote disabled people’s rights to the Labour Party and the Labour Party to disabled people.

During our life time we have achieved a number of changes to Labour Party rules, which have made the party more inclusive of disabled members – including strengthening rules about meeting the access needs of disabled Labour Party members and creating the position of CLP Disabilities Officers.  More recently, we were given a place on the Labour Party National Policy Forum (NPF), along with LGBT Labour giving all equality strands a seat on Labour’s policy making body.

We held a series of three policy forums for disabled Labour Party members to discuss the 8 second year policy consultation documents and agree amendments to the documents. We were also grateful to have the support of four Shadow Ministers, especially Kate Green MP Shadow Disability Minster who hosted two of the forums.

We realise that finances are tight but disabled voters want to know what we are going to do to improve their lives, particularly after 5 very difficult years under the coalition Government. So, as well as submitting our manifesto to the Office of Budget Responsibility Labour must do an equality audit of our proposed manifesto.

Unsurprisingly, the issues of most concern to disabled Labour Party members were getting disabled people in to work (and keeping them there) and reforming the work capability assessment and DLA/PIP. Issues covered in our amendments include dealing with disability harassment at work, stopping sickness absence procedures being used to get rid of disabled people at work and more funding and publicity for the Access to Work programme for which the Treasury gets £1.48 in higher tax revenue and lower benefit payments for every £1 spent. We are also supporting the unions in calling for statutory recognition of union equality reps. In terms of the work capability assessment and DLA/PIP we are calling for new benefits to be designed in collaboration with disabled people that better meet our needs. In addition we welcome the report of the Disability Poverty Taskforce commissioned as part of Labour’s Policy Review and asking that an incoming Labour Government consult with disabled people and their organisations on how it can be taken forward.

We have agreed an amendment, which is also supported by the Socialist Educational Association on improving education provision for disabled children and with the Socialist Environmental and Resources Association on improving transport for disabled people and introducing a disability energy tariff.  We also agreed joint policies on social care and improving provision for people with mental health difficulties with the Socialist Health Association.

We are working with LGBT Labour to promote an amendment calling for Labour to carry out a review of the Equality Act 2010 and implement the results before the 2020 General Election as well as promoting positive attitudes on equality issues.

Further details of Disability Labour’s proposals for the manifesto can be obtained by emailing me at: [email protected].

We welcome new members and affiliates and you can join here.

Nicholas Russell is the representative for Disability Labour at the NPF.