London Daily

Focus on the big picture.
Saturday, Oct 25, 2025

UK ministers lay out ‘most ambitious’ plan for disabled workers

UK ministers lay out ‘most ambitious’ plan for disabled workers

Strategy to improve conditions for disabled people labelled ‘thin’ and ‘flawed’ by some campaign groups
Ministers have announced plans to help disabled people in the workplace, part of a wider disability strategy billed as the most ambitious in a generation, but condemned by some campaign groups as notably thin in specific policies.

The 120-page strategy, led by the cross-departmental government disability unit, is intended as the first step in an annual process by which all departments will be assessed on how well their policies help disabled people.

The first incarnation, backed by £1.6bn in funding – although this is all money previously announced – focuses on the workplace, tackling inclusion and seeking to cut a disability employment gap currently at 28.6%.

Ideas include the possibility of making all larger companies say how many disabled people they employ, and increasing the number of disabled people employed by official institutions including the civilian military and reservists, MI5, MI6 and GCHQ.

There will also be a pilot scheme for what is called an “access to work adjustments passport” for people moving from education to work, or changing jobs; plus an online advice centre for disabled people and employers, covering areas such as flexible working and disability discrimination.

In other areas, one proposal is for 10% of homes built through a government scheme for affordable homes to be supported housing, and measures to improve rail services for disabled passengers.

Speaking before the launch, the minister for disabled people, Justin Tomlinson, said the document was “a significant first step as we work towards a fully inclusive society” for the estimated 14 million disabled people in the UK”.

The aim, Tomlinson said, was to integrate assistance for disabled people, highlighting issues such as for someone who gets a job in a new area but cannot find accessible housing locally.

“We’re probably very good at identifying a single challenge but not all of the issues in delivering a fully inclusive society,” Tomlinson said.

The plan, he said, was for the minister in each department who serves as the disability champion to be regularly challenged on new policies: “This is not a one-off. This is an annual document where we will be held to account for the promises we made.”

Boris Johnson described the strategy – which applies in England – as “the most far-reaching endeavour in this area for a generation or more”.

However, some charities have expressed scepticism. Kamran Mallick, the chief executive of Disability Rights UK, said the strategy was “disappointingly thin on immediate actions, medium-term plans and the details of longer term investment”.

There has also been criticism of the consultation, which ran from January to April, and prompted about 14,000 responses.

Kevin Shinkwin, a Conservative peer who chairs a disability commission for the Tory thinktank the Centre for Social Justice, has previously said that the lack of engagement risked making the strategy “another car crash”.

The National Federation of the Blind of the UK says key elements of the consultation did not even work correctly for users, and has called for Tomlinson to resign.

Andrew Hodgson, the group’s president, said: “How can you have a minister who is willing to use data that is fundamentally flawed to formulate policy which will affect the lives of disabled people for a generation?”
Newsletter

Related Articles

0:00
0:00
Close
U.S. Treasury Sanctions Colombia’s President Gustavo Petro over Drug-Trafficking Allegations
Miss USA Crowns Nebraska’s Audrey Eckert Amid Leadership Overhaul
‘I Am Not Done’: Kamala Harris Signals Possible 2028 White House Run
NBA Faces Integrity Crisis After Mass Arrests in Gambling Scandal
Swift Heist at the Louvre Sees Eight French Crown Jewels Stolen in Under Seven Minutes
U.S. Halts Trade Talks with Canada After Ontario Ad Using Reagan Voice Triggers Diplomatic Fallout
Microsoft AI CEO: ‘We’re making an AI that you can trust your kids to use’ — but can Microsoft rebuild its own trust before fixing the industry’s?
China and Russia Deploy Seductive Espionage Networks to Infiltrate U.S. Tech Sector
Apple’s ‘iPhone Air’ Collapses After One Month — Another Major Misstep for the Tech Giant
Graham Potter Begins New Chapter as Sweden Head Coach on Short-Term Deal
Ecuadorian President Daniel Noboa Alleges Poison Plot via Chocolate and Jam
Lakestar to Halt External Fundraising as Investor in Revolut and Spotify
U.S. Innovation Ranking Under Scrutiny as China Leads Output Outputs but Ranks 10th
Three Men Arrested in London on Suspicion of Spying for Russia
Porsche Reverses EV Strategy as New CEO Bets on Petrol and Hybrids
Singapore’s Prime Minister Warns of ‘Messy’ Transition to Post-American Global Order
Andreessen Horowitz Sets Sights on Ten-Billion-Dollar Fund for Tech Surge
US Administration Under President Donald Trump Reportedly Lifts Ban on Ukraine’s Use of Storm Shadow Missiles Against Russia
‘Frightening’ First Night in Prison for Sarkozy: Inmates Riot and Shout ‘Little Nicolas’
White House Announces No Imminent Summit Between Trump and Putin
US and Qatar Warn EU of Trade and Energy Risks from Tough Climate Regulation
Apple Challenges EU Digital Markets Act Crackdown in Landmark Court Battle
Nicolas Sarkozy begins five-year prison term at La Santé in Paris
Japan stocks surge to record as Sanae Takaichi becomes Prime Minister
This Is How the 'Heist of the Century' Was Carried Out at the Louvre in Seven Minutes: France Humiliated as Crown with 2,000 Diamonds Vanishes
China Warns UK of ‘Consequences’ After Delay to London Embassy Approval
France’s Wealthy Shift Billions to Luxembourg and Switzerland Amid Tax and Political Turmoil
"Sniper Position": Observation Post Targeting 'Air Force One' Found Before Trump’s Arrival in Florida
Shouting Match at the White House: 'Trump Cursed, Threw Maps, and Told Zelensky – "Putin Will Destroy You"'
Windows’ Own ‘Siri’ Has Arrived: You Can Now Talk to Your Computer
Thailand and Singapore Investigate Cambodian-Based Prince Group as U.S. and U.K. Sanctions Unfold
‘No Kings’ Protests Inflate Numbers — But History Shows Nations Collapse Without Strong Executive Power
Chinese Tech Giants Halt Stablecoin Launches After Beijing’s Regulatory Intervention
Manhattan Jury Holds BNP Paribas Liable for Enabling Sudanese Government Abuses
Trump Orders Immediate Release of Former Congressman George Santos After Commuting Prison Sentence
S&P Downgrades France’s Credit Rating, Citing Soaring Debt and Political Instability
Ofcom Rules BBC’s Gaza Documentary ‘Materially Misleading’ Over Narrator’s Hamas Ties
Diane Keaton’s Cause of Death Revealed as Pneumonia, Family Confirms
Former Lostprophets Frontman Ian Watkins Stabbed to Death in British Prison
"The Tsunami Is Coming, and It’s Massive": The World’s Richest Man Unveils a New AI Vision
Outsider, Heroine, Trailblazer: Diane Keaton Was Always a Little Strange — and Forever One of a Kind
Dramatic Development in the Death of 'Mango' Founder: Billionaire's Son Suspected of Murder
Two Years of Darkness: The Harrowing Testimonies of Israeli Hostages Emerging From Gaza Captivity
EU Moves to Use Frozen Russian Assets to Buy U.S. Weapons for Ukraine
Europe Emerges as the Biggest Casualty in U.S.-China Rare Earth Rivalry
HSBC Confronts Strategic Crossroads as NAB Seeks Only Retail Arm in Australia Exit
U.S. Chamber Sues Trump Over $100,000 H-1B Visa Fee
Shenzhen Expo Spotlights China’s Quantum Step in Semiconductor Self-Reliance
China Accelerates to the Forefront in Global Nuclear Fusion Race
Yachts, Private Jets, and a Picasso Painting: Exposed as 'One of the Largest Frauds in History'
×