Debbie Abrahams responds to Chancellor’s comments on disabled people in the workforce

Debbie
Abrahams MP, Labour’s Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, responding to Philip Hammond’s
comments to the Treasury Select Committee about the impact of disabled
people in the workforce on productivity measurements, said:

“It is
disgraceful that Philip Hammond is scapegoating disabled people for a
productivity crisis created by the Conservatives’ failed economic
policies. 

"This
is coming from a Government that has forced disabled people to pay the price of
their failed austerity agenda, including by cutting measures that help disabled
people into the workforce and scrapping their own manifesto commitment on
halving the disability employment gap. 

"We
should be increasing disabled people’s access to employment, not denigrating
their contributions. The Chancellor should apologise immediately."