Boris Johnson wrote to every Cabinet minister asking them to review how their department can help lower barriers that disabled people face in their everyday life, The Sun reports.
In a letter seen by The Sun the PM told his top team that they must all contribute ideas to his government’s new National Disability Strategy.
He said disabled people currently face a host of challenges to a wide aspect of their lives that government can change – such as loneliness, unemployment and access to government services.
Each Cabinet minister has been ordered to look at how their department could increase opportunity for disabled people and make sure data and evidence held on the lives of disabled people is up to date.
In an emotionally charged letter to his top ministerial team – the first he’s sent since the election, Boris Johnson wrote: “Despite progress, many disabled people find it hard to access services that others take for granted.
“That isn’t just unfair, it is also a criminal waste of potential that shamefully and quite needlessly constrains the prosperity of our entire nation.”
Mr Johnson wants a more joined-up approach across Whitehall departments to tackle problems faced by disabled people. Aides pointed to the example of disabled people having to undergo multiple assessments to qualify for benefits, which not only creates extra barriers for them but also causes distress.
