August 2017

UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities committee says government cuts caused “human catastrophe”.

What: Following a two-day public examination of the UK’s progress in implementing the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities, the committee’s chair, Theresia Degener, tells the UK government’s delegation that its cuts to social security and other support for disabled people had caused “a human catastrophe”, which was “totally neglecting the vulnerable situation people with disabilities find themselves in”.

Why significant: Harsh words about the UK government’s failure to address concerns about the impact of its social security reforms on disabled people, from a UN committee of disabled human rights experts.