Philip Davies is wrong on disabled people and the minimum wage

Rather than pass legislation to improve the right of disabled people or introduce quotas, Philip Davies, the MP for Shipley in West Yorkshire, thinks that disabled people should be able to work for less than the minimum wage.

That's for less than £5.93 an hour, at a time when the cost of living is rising rapidly.

The message Mr Davies sends out is that disabled people are worth less than non-disabled people. Perhaps he should have got a job at Winterbourne View. They'd like him there.

Private sector company British Telecom would disagree. In 2009, the BT Director of Policy and People said:

Many of the barriers disabled people face are external. A diverse workforce can help to access people from different backgrounds, which is a competitive advantage for the organisation.

Disabled people face hurdles on a day-to-day basis and hence can tackle any challenges and find extraordinary solutions. They have unique perspectives and can change not just what we do but how we do things.

Employing people with disabilities is not risky, disruptive or expensive – it is just plain business sense. A diverse workforce makes for better business. It is the difference that can make the difference.

A spokesperson for the Equality and Human Rights Commission comments:

This is nonsense. It shows a total lack of understanding of the abilities and aspirations of Mr Davies' disabled constituents. Is he arguing that Richard Branson, by definition, is less productive than people who don't have dyslexia? Or that Winston Churchill was unfit to run the country because of his depression?

"Disabled people have the right to work and to be treated equally in the workplace. As long as people like Mr Davies only see the disability, not the ability, the barriers in society will remain for disabled people.

"Evidence from our inquiry into disability-related harassment suggests that the perpetrators view disabled people as worth less than other people. We will be writing to Mr Davies in due course to remind him of his responsibilities and will be inviting him to attend an evidence session for this inquiry.

Philip Davies says that people using a Mind service were in full agreement with him. I'd love to have some actual evidence of disabled people agreeing with him. How many of those he spoke to didn't or wouldn't have agreed with this?

A better way of supporting disabled people would be to donate to Mind so it can fund its Employment Service.

Perhaps Philip Davies, who seems to get a lot of money in expenses, could make a donation.

A debate on Newsnight, featuring Philip Davies and RADAR chief executive Liz Sayce.



Philip Davies mixes up his bottom and mouth again:

In the past, he's asked the Equality and Human Rights Commission "Is it offensive to black up or not, particularly if you are impersonating a black person?" and asked whether it was racist for a policeman to refer to a BMW as "black man's wheels."

Philip Davies also voted against the Equality Act (Sexual Orientation) Regulations 2007 and complained in the House of Commons about a school production of Romeo and Julian during LGBT History month.