MSP Pam Duncan-Glancy urges government to rethink downgrade of minister for disabled people

The UK Government has been urged to restore the role of minister for disabled people which was downgraded during the chaos of Liz Truss’s short-lived tenure as prime minister.

Labour MSP and wheelchair user Pam Duncan-Glancy, the party’s social justice spokesperson, said the decision had to be reconsidered by Rishi Sunak to give disabled people more representation in government.

The most recent minister for disabled people was Chloe Smith, who was appointed pensions secretary on September 6, the day Liz Truss became prime minister.

But the mid-level ministerial post was downgraded to the more junior parliamentary under-secretary of state for disabled people, with ex-Treasury aide Claire Coutinho appointed on September 21.

Duncan-Glancy, who last year became the first wheelchair user to be elected to Holyrood, said: “Either the government knew this was a problem and snuck it out in the middle of the chaos or they didn’t even consider it a problem. I don’t know which to be more worried about.

“There needs to be a rethink about this decision.”

People with disabilities make up about 18% of the population but nearly 60% of those who died from Covid-19 during the pandemic were disabled.

Duncan-Glancy said: “When you look at the number of disabled people who died during the Covid-19 pandemic, disabled people need to be front and centre of what we’re doing as we come out of the pandemic. The measure of a good society is how it respects people’s human rights and understands those who are least represented.

“And while we have an under-representation of disabled people in parliament, we have to rely on at least the seniority of a ministerial post in government.”

Coutinho, questioned by Labour MP Vicky Foxcroft about the “demoted” role in the House of Commons on Wednesday, said it “continues to be an important ministerial post in Government”.

On Thursday night, Coutinho was appointed a minister at the Department for Education in yet another ministerial reshuffle.

She tweeted that it had been an “enormous pleasure” to serve in “one of the best jobs in Government”.