Grassroots work will lead to more disabled MPs, says Begg

John Pring

A disabled MP has welcomed a parliamentary inquiry that will examine how to boost the number of disabled MPs.

But Anne Begg, a Labour MP, said the situation would only improve if disabled people were first encouraged to become grassroots activists.

She said: “It’s a huge issue but we will not address the under-representation unless you start at that [grassroots] level.

“If they are not engaged in becoming councillors, doing community work or voluntary work, they will not have a track record when it comes to being selected [to fight a parliamentary seat].”

Her comments came after the government announced that a cross-party “speaker’s conference” of 17 MPs, chaired by the speaker of the Commons, Michael Martin, would consider and make recommendations on how to improve the representation of disabled people, women and minority ethnic people in parliament.

The government will also set new targets on gender, race and disability in public appointments and give a stronger diversity remit to the commissioner for public appointments.

Ms Begg said: “If we are to have our democracy reflect the whole of society, then we have to have elected members…who reflect different strands of society.”

She said the idea for the conference had been “energised” by the election of the USA’s first black President, Barack Obama.

But she said that Obama’s election proved that politicians could not just appeal to members of their own minority. “I’m not just a disabled MP, I have to represent all my constituents. People will not vote for you if they think you will just represent that one section.”

But she said she thought there were many more disabled MPs than most people believe, as many of those with hidden impairments do not talk about them in public.

The conference is expected to make its recommendations in 2009.

14 November, 2008