As a visibly physically disabled MP, my view on the welfare bill is clear: we need a reset and fast | Marie Tidball

In March 2020, when the Conservative government looked like an outlier in appearing to pursue a Covid strategy centring on herd immunity, for the first time in my life I felt raw, hot fear. Thinking of my toddler and what might happen if I caught coronavirus and was treated under the then Nice guidelines “frailty” score was too much. I sobbed deeply. After 10 years of austerity, I knew then that disabled people would pay an enormous price for the pandemic thanks to the government’s handling of it. Disabled people did: almost 60% of Covid-related deaths involved disabled people in that first wave.

I vowed then that I would do all I could to use my skills and experiences of 20 years working in disability law and policy to deliver a country that treats disabled people with dignity…