MS Research 2025

All MS research since 2014 is available via ResearchGate https://www.researchgate.net/profile/Mo_Stewart/publications

Introduction

As the country celebrated the landslide victory of the Labour government in July 2024 many of those in greatest need were cautious. They were remembering that it was the last Labour administration who introduced the fatally flawed and totally discredited Work Capability Assessment in October 2008, to limit access to the Employment and Support Allowance long-term out-of-work disability benefit, now replaced by Universal Credit.

The brutal social policy reforms of previous Coalition and Conservative administrations created a public health crisis for the chronically ill and disabled community who are unable to work, which is routinely disregarded by the Department for Work and Pensions. The Labour government, led by Blair supporter Keir Starmer, has demonstrated no signs of increased support for the chronically ill and disabled community or that anything will improve.

The latest Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Liz Kendall, demonstrates every time she speaks that she doesn’t have an independent thought in her head as she continues with negative rhetoric impacting on the working-age disabled community, which is very similar to the disturbing commentary of previous Coalition and Conservative administrations. …