She's back and this time it's personal

When in government, Anne McGuire’s commitment to the disability brief won admiration for her from the community. Now, having been given the brief in opposition, she is, says Sunil Peck, as keen to champion the cause of people she sees as more under threat than ever

It is rare for a minister to command the level of trust and affection which Anne McGuire achieved during her time as minister for disabled people between 2005 and 2008. When a reshuffle led to her losing her job, activists praised her for the passion she had shown in promoting disability rights and for the rapport she established with disabled people. One activist even described her departure as “tragic”.

For her part, McGuire, who has a disability herself, says that it is a “real privilege” to be the shadow minister for disabled people and that she was “delighted” when Ed Miliband offered her the job.

Nevertheless, her appointment comes at a time when many disabled people feel angry with Labour for its failure to stand up and challenge the programme of cuts instigated by the Government more vehemently. And it was her party which abolished Incapacity Benefit in a move which it said was designed to support more people into work. I wonder whether, despite her excellent reputation, that might make her brief tougher?

It is, she contends, “not entirely fair” to accuse Labour of failing to champion the rights of disabled people.

“My predecessor Margaret Curran along with Stephen Timms and Kate Green were involved in a very long and extensive committee stage on the Welfare Reform Bill, holding the Government to account on every element of it, including some of the issues which are causing distress to disabled people like the changes to Disability Living Allowance and the move to Personal Independence Payments.”

The shadow minister says that other disabled people she has spoken to agree that there is a need to reform the welfare system. But the key difference between her party’s approach and that of the Government is the speed of reform.

“I think what we have is a very fast reform, the ground is moving from beneath the feet of disabled people at a rate that is probably unprecedented. We don’t actually know the detail of some of the legislation that is going through because it will be done through secondary legislation and regulations. I would like to have seen the Government co-operate more with disabled people’s organisations to see how we could map out a way forward.”

She goes on to talk about changes that are already having an impact; people whose DLA is refused and who have to wait several months for their appeal and changes to the Motability scheme which could impact on disabled children.

“All of these things have just come one after another and I am disturbed that there appears to be a lack of meaningful consultation and discussion with organisations representing disabled people to see how we can get through the welfare reform programme.”

Our conversation takes place soon after the launch of an e-petition to stop the Government’s cuts so that the impact of them on disabled people can be reviewed. As Anne McGuire says, the Government are unlikely to take any notice of the e-petition. But she says that it is important for disabled people to sign it.

“It is about raising some of the issues that have been lost in the hell for leather approach on elements of welfare reform. I know disabled people who want to work and want support to get into employment, but we need to recognize the instability that is being caused to the lives of disabled people by the legislation that is going through.”

Something else Anne McGuire is committed to addressing is the negative press coverage of disabled people as cheats and scroungers which she says is feeding feelings of vulnerability in the community.

She cites a report commissioned by Inclusion London which highlights a trend towards an increase in negative press reports of disabled people since the programme of cuts was introduced.

It is an issue which she says ministers have a duty to challenge.

She is also vowing to put pressure on the Government to “at least recognise the overwhelming case about not removing Disability Living Allowance from people in residential care. There just seems to be a lack of understanding from ministers about what DLA is intended for and its relevance to those people in residential care.”

But there are indications that ministers could have performed a u-turn with regard to DLA and as Disability Now went to press, it was our understanding that the Government was about to announce that the mobility component of DLA for people in residential care would not be withdrawn.

Anne McGuire wants to persuade the Government to review its plans to set a limit of 12 months for people on Employment and Support Allowance who claim it on the basis that they are fit to work.

“The time limit of a year is a nonsense in terms of people who become disabled and who are undergoing medical treatment. We have said that a year is just not appropriate.”

We can only hope that Anne McGuire turns out to be an effective champion of disabled people in her second spell as disability spokeswoman. As she says herself: “There have been tremendous changes in the lives of disabled people and I certainly don’t want to see us going backwards. I get a disturbing sense that disabled people feel under threat in a way they haven’t felt for many years.”