'I'm on a learning curve'

It’s back to square one for the Liberal Democrats, with their latest disability shadow nine months into his new role

John Barrett MP, the Liberal Democrats’ latest spokesperson on disability, appointed just after Nick Clegg became leader nine months ago, is still settling into his new role.

As their third disability spokesman in as many years, he has a hard slog ahead in familiarising himself with the issues, engaging with the disability movement and pushing for real change.

“I’m on a strict learning curve,” he says, “and I’ll be the first to admit that I’ve got a lot to learn – but the determination is there.”

Indeed, Barrett is worryingly short on policies, and his knowledge of key concepts, such as the social model of disability, is threadbare.

This lack of focus on disability was apparent at the conference in general, with no mention of access issues and no disabled people called to speak during a debate on the party’s rail expansion programme.

There were some positive moves, with the launch of a group aimed at achieving diversity in the party, and the renewal of a pledge to extend winter fuel payments to severely disabled people, while shadow work and pensions secretary Jenny Willott MP said rates of disability living allowance were “nowhere near sufficient” to cover the costs of living for disabled families.

As for Barrett, though, he can point to efforts he made three years ago in his constituency, Edinburgh West, to help families with disabled children. He arranged for information packs that simplify applying for benefits, parking badges and other services. “I approached Anne McGuire about this,” he says. “I told her that people faced a real battle in accessing information and knowing what to do. She said the government is doing all it can, but I don’t think there is joined-up thinking.”

He says discrimination against disabled people is still rife, although he has yet to formulate detailed solutions. “There has got to be a change in mindset so that it would be equally outrageous to discriminate against disabled people as it would be to discriminate against other groups,” he says. “I don’t think legislation on its own can do it. There are huge problems in the workplace. Employers must be involved in a way they haven’t been before.”

Working towards equality for disabled people is something everyone can agree on, he says. “We’ve entered a unique phase in that the other two party leaders both have disabled children. There is political common ground. Now it’s just a matter of resources. If we’re facing a recession, there will probably be more of a limitation there. Providing healthcare, respite care, educational provision – they’re all expensive – and I think that’s the battle ahead.”

So what makes Liberal Democrats different from the Tories and Labour? “The Conservatives see it as a question of how to get more people into the marketplace. The Labour government has let a lot of people down over the years and I’d like to think that the Liberal Democrats would work with individuals and organisations to improve the system. Hopefully, we’re not facing an immediate election, and we have time to develop good policies between now and then.”