The new House of Commons will include five disabled MPs, an increase of three on the last term.
Two new Labour MPs are part of the increase. Marsha de Cordova, who defeated Jane Ellison in Battersea, is registered blind and spoke about disabled rights in her victory speech. Jared O’Mara, who has cerebral palsy, won Sheffield Hallam from the former deputy prime minister Nick Clegg.
Lib Dem MP Stephen Lloyd, who is deaf, returns after losing his seat in 2015.
Conservative MPs Robert Halfon, who has cerebal palsy and osteoarthritis, and Paul Maynard, who also has cerebal palsy, were reelected.
But with the five MPs amounting to less than 1% of the parliament’s total membership, the intake was described as “disappointing” by Jamie Szymkowiak, founder of the One in Five campaign for more disabled politicians.
“One in five of us self-identify as being disabled, which includes mental health, learning disabilities and long-term health conditions,” he said. “The biggest barrier is the cost of standing for election and getting through the selection process.”
He called on the government to start offering grants to disabled people to help cover those costs. He said the Scottish Executive has set aside £200,000 for that purpose, although it is not accessible to people wanting to win election to Westminster.
