When ministers defended Starmer over Mandelson’s links to Epstein this week, they rushed to X - a platform that lets users strip photos of women and girls. Is it surely time for the government to log off X? And is social media too toxic for all of us? My col: www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

We've got an unexpected gap in our work queue due to shifting research schedules so if you've been keen to use our services to support your research, get in touch! If you include code 'BSKY13' with your message, we'll automatically deduct 13% if you book between now and end of Friday 13th!

He pushed me down the stairs! Today's Post : "Chuka's Story. The Heir to Blair" open.substack.com/pub/undercla... "We don’t want gloss from a front-man in a suit. We don’t want more broken promises. Cool Britannia closed shop following a corporate takeover by Brexit PLC." RT & Subscribe

Pls read share and subscribe for free, for all the leadership shenanigans. underclass.substack.com/p/the-story-... #Burnham #Labour

The government wants to enhance contributory unemployment benefits - we’re good with that Contribution-based benefits can help the legitimacy of the welfare state. There is a catch though… www.citizensadvice.org.uk/policy/publi...

Energy limiting conditions are still largely missing from how we think about disability— despite how common they are. Here's my new explainer on ELCs, drawing together my previous research, thinking and practice. disabilityinsight.co.uk/about/what-a...

Today's Post : "The Starmer Prophecy" Epilogue "..these Ladies of a certain Age and Experience know that leaders come and go. This one now seems unlikely to succeed" May 2023 open.substack.com/pub/undercla... Please read, share and subscribe for free

Are you a sales specialist with a passion for social justice, research and accessibility seeking remote, flexible, part-time work? We're growing our team of sales and marketing assistants, offering 5-10 hours a week to join us connecting with our audience, crafting content, and converting leads.

Today's Post : Rod's Story open.substack.com/pub/undercla... Have you ever wondered if the person serving you is being trafficked? No, nor had I. Until I met Rod. Please Read, share and subscribe

Today's Post : "The Addenbrookes Infection" How does a Trust become so toxic, it ends with a Letby or an AlderHey? Like this..... open.substack.com/pub/undercla... Please read, subscribe and share. We have to start hearing uncomfortable truths about the NHS, or we can't fix it.

open.substack.com/pub/undercla... Sharing with Maeve’s mother @swastrosarah.bsky.social Via @suey2y.bsky.social

Good news about Erasmus! Would you please boost my take on what it meant for poorer kids like me? @willblackwriter.bsky.social @haylesben.bsky.social @catherinehale.bsky.social @chrisbracken.bsky.social @stefbenstead.bsky.social @peterstefanovic.bsky.social open.substack.com/pub/undercla...

Thank you to @kingscsmh.bsky.social for the opportunity to respond to the recent Get Britain Working report by Sir Charlie Mayfield. I’ve looked specifically at how the recommendations could make a difference, or not, to disabled people who are locked out of employment due to inflexible job design

If anyone missed the launch event last week for our guidance on more inclusive workplaces for academics with ELC, the recording is now available on our website (along with the guidance) exhaustioneconomy.uk/guidance/ @alisonallam.bsky.social @catherinehale.bsky.social @equihealthfutures.bsky.social

So excited to share our new article on energy limiting conditions (ELC) and energy impairment in @ijdsj.bsky.social with Anna Ruddock and Ana Be. Open access www.scienceopen.com/hosted-docum... It discusses the emancipatory research process that gave rise to these terms >>

Another great article from the brilliant work of @catherinehale.bsky.social & Chronic Illness Inclusion - paper from Catherine, Ana Bê & Anna Ruddock. #DisabilitySky International Journal of Disability & Social Justice. www.scienceopen.com/hosted-docum...

Great to hear a robust challenge to DWPs misleading stats on out of work benefits. Thank you as ever @benbgeiger.bsky.social

The #UK Government would like to get more people who are currently on #disability benefits back to #work. But @catherinehale.bsky.social argues that the current labour market does not accommodate disabled people to return to work. Flex Plus jobs could be a way forward @lsepoliticsblog.bsky.social.

🌟New: The Government would like to get more people who are currently on disability #benefits back to work. But Catherine Hale‬ ‪(@catherinehale.bsky.social‬) argues that the labour market in its current state is not fit to accommodate disabled people wanting to return to #work. #GetBritainWorking

Have you signed up to @aat-transcribes.bsky.social’s researcher community mailing list? Last week’s mail-out covered recent research on disabled people in work and highlighted work from clients @theadhdacademic.bsky.social & @catherinehale.bsky.social academicaudiotranscription.com/improve-your...

“There’s a longstanding practice in UK politics to force disabled people to fight for their basic rights – a kind of gladiatorial scrap in which the Colosseum is replaced by the set of Good Morning Britain.” Today’s col. on the fallout of more ‘welfare reform.’ www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

I’m ashamed to live in a country that just passed a welfare bill condemning hundreds of thousands to deeper poverty and despair. I’m ashamed of a Labour government that refused to work WITH disabled people to build a benefits system based on dignity, not punishment. #BinUCBill

Proud to have contributed to work at the @kingscsmh.bsky.social that can inform an evidence based approach to reforming welfare and employment policy for disability and mental health. Yesterday’s debacle in parliament shows that pursuing cuts by spreadsheet is not the way forward.

I think I'll make a t-shirt with the words *these people* on. Because that's what right-wing nondisabled people use to refer to disabled people - as if it will never happen to them, as if 'these people' are other. Good luck with that. #Disability #StopTheCuts

Breaking - Labour is speaking to rebels about more concessions to secure the vote tonight. Let me clear as a disabled person who is sometimes dependent on state benefits and a clinician: there are no concessions that can make us feel safe in an unconsulted process #TakingThePIP

As MPs vote on massive cuts to Universal Credit & PIP today, they should bear in mind: - This does not have public support - This is not the change the public voted for - The public don't believe the only way to meet fiscal challenges is to make disabled people poorer and iller

EMERGENCY CALL OUT: DISABLED PEOPLE HAVE TEN DAYS BEFORE THE DISABILITY CUTS ARE VOTED ON IN PARLIAMENT WE NEED A REBELLION I am begging, even if you think there's no point, even if you have tried before, please contact your MP and ask them to vote against the cuts on the 1st. FB link in reply.

🧵 NEW: APPG on Poverty and Inequality's response to the Pathways to Work Green Paper reveals SHOCKING evidence - disabled households face £1,067 extra costs monthly (67% of income) yet government plans devastating cuts that will push 400,000 into poverty. Thread👇#TakingThePIP

Learning about myalgic encephalomyelitis really changed me. The full depth of suffering associated with this horrific illness is right out in the open for anyone to read about and/or to develop themselves, and our society seems to have decided to address the problem solely by stigmatising patients

Nearly half a million people in disabled households will be forced into severe hardship if the disability benefit cuts go ahead, new research by @trusselluk.bsky.social shows. No MP who votes for this can pretend they don’t know. www.trussell.org.uk/news-and-res...

I’m very excited to be part of this line up. And discussing a topic so close to home, personally and professionally: The lack of suitably flexible jobs for people with health conditions and disabilities

#WelfareNotWarfare Join People’s Assembly Saturday 7th June 2025 Please assemble 12 noon BBC Portland Place London W1A 1AA All accessible details here: dpac.uk.net/2025/05/acce... accessible march Assemble: 1.30pm North End of Whitehall Whitehall London SW1A 2HQ Rally will be BSL

Deep breath, lads. In response to the proposed government disability cuts, I wrote a piece about my life before The Daily Tism (it includes a PIP assessment, a mental health crisis and iced Madeira cake). We’ll fight this with everything we’ve got. #TakingThePip

#TakingThePIP www.theguardian.com/commentisfre...

The JKP Writing Prize is back for 2025 - part of Hachette UK’s Future Bookshelf programme, which supports aspiring writers from underrepresented backgrounds. Everyday Disability and Chronic Illness: Stories of Joy, Resistance, and Anti-Ableism www.thefuturebookshelf.co.uk/landing-page...

🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨 Yesterday, over 100 Disabled people joined the mass lobby of MPs to resist benefit cuts - the largest lobby of Disabled people Parliament has seen in over a decade. Read more👇 www.disabilityrightsuk.org/news/over-10...

Ginny cares for her husband Tim, who has myotonic dystrophy. She works part-time, on top of caring for him every day. Now, under the Government’s PIP changes, they face losing £12,000 a year. Today I asked the Prime Minister: what does he expect carers like Ginny to do?

🚨BREAKING: Hannah, a young PIP claimant, confronts Liz Kendall (DWP chief) over Labour’s £5bn disability benefit cuts. Kendall ignored her and walked away. This government would rather risk disabled people's lives than tax wealth.

In light of Sir Charlie Mayfield's report on work and disability on @todayshow.com we wanted to resurface 'The 39 Steps Realising the potential of Flex Plus working for disability inclusion' report... www.kcl.ac.uk/csmh/assets/2025/39-steps-flex-plus-working-disability-inclusion-report-2025.pdf

A few years ago, Keir Starmer suggested Jeremy Corbyn wasn't pro-immigration enough. Now Starmer sounds like Enoch Powell. The most dishonest frontline politician in UK democratic history 👇 www.owenjones.news/p/starmers-e...

More than 40 Labour MPs have warned Keir Starmer that planned disability cuts are “impossible to support”, @jessicaelgot.bsky.social @peterwalker99.bsky.social exclusively reports. It sets up Starmer for the biggest rebellion of his premiership next month. www.theguardian.com/politics/202...

Surreal that these pieces somehow manage to not even mention the pandemic that has left many millions chronically ill

#PIP @hackneyabbott.bsky.social has secured a Westminster Hall Debate on PIP and Disabled people On 07.05.2025 2.30 pm to 4.30pm Please use the template letter to ask your MP to attend this debate Link here: dpac.uk.net/2025/05/urge...

Thanks to Peter Ghin for interviewing me for his podcast about working with Energy Limiting Conditions @isrfoundation.bsky.social & a paper co-authored with @alisonallam.bsky.social @thelrm.bsky.social @equihealthfutures.bsky.social @catherinehale.bsky.social & Ana Bê Pereira tinyurl.com/mrx876c8

“Environmental defenders were wary of Starmer’s Labour party, though I don’t think anyone believed it would be worse than the Tories.” So Labours approach to welfare is mirrored in their trashing of environmental protections. No consultation, no listening to experts. Horrific.

Fuck Nigel Farage. Fuck disability registers, “overdiagnosis”, pity porn, and so-called bloated benefit bills. Disabled people have full, rich lives and add enormous value to the country. It is time for a new narrative. Who Wants Normal? is out now: linktr.ee/WhoWantsNormal

We have over 800 signatures in just 70 hours! Our coalition — clinicians, researchers, carers, and most importantly, disabled people — will help the public and Parliament see how dangerous these cuts would be. Every signature adds weight. Thank you so much. ✍️ Please sign: tinyurl.com/yw8bzmxr

Super news: Our letter on disability benefits cuts has almost 450 signatories — incl doctors, nurses, psychologists, OTs, clergy, and crucially, disabled people & carers. Thank you!🙏 Every signature matters for Parliament & media — so please sign & share if you haven't already. tinyurl.com/2z8xu9k8

🚨NEWS🚨 Over 80 MPs At Risk of Losing Their Seats Because of PIP Cuts - Data from the Disability Poverty Campaign Group There will be very real consequences for MPs who don't take the right stand against these cuts... www.theguardian.com/politics/202...