Bath MP Builds Cross-Party Coalition for Campaign to Support Disabled Workers

30 November 2020

Last week Wera Hobhouse tabled an Early Day Motion in her continued campaign to support disabled workers through the pandemic.

The Early Day Motion has now earned the support of 29 Members of Parliament, representing eight political parties and one independent MP.

The Early Day Motion calls on Government to “introduce a Jobs Guarantee for newly unemployed disabled people” and to show “leadership” to ensure the UK does not backslide on the progress which has been made over the “25 years since the Disability Discrimination Act was introduced”.

This Early Day Motion is the continuation of the campaign started last month by Wera Hobhouse in Parliament. Bath’s MP has been campaigning to improve the situation for disabled people in the UK who have lost work or found themselves in difficult situations because of Covid-19. The campaign is based on research by the charity Leonard Cheshire, showing that 71 percent of disabled people employed in March have been impacted by loss of income, furlough, or unemployment.

Wera Hobhouse said:

“I am proud of how many MPs, from all sides of the political spectrum, have come together to support this important cause. Disabled workers add so much to so many different sectors across Bath and the wider country. We cannot let the unintended consequence of Covid-19 be the exclusion of disabled people from our economy.

The Early Day Motion is an important step in showing Government how many constituencies are impacted by this issue. I am pleased that after a month of campaigning on this issue I will be meeting with the Minister for Disabled People on the 14th of December to talk through my proposals. There is still time to support disabled workers and get them back on track and contributing to our workforce in 2021.”