Concern grows over legality of government’s approach as new figures show more than 150,000 carers facing huge penalties A hero – then sacked. The carer’s allowance whistleblower New figures show more than 150,000 unpaid carers are now facing huge fines for minor rule breaches, as MPs, charities and campaigners demanded an immediate amnesty. Ed Davey, the Lib Dem leader, joined calls to write off the vast debts incurred by tens of thousands of people who care for sick, disabled and elderly relatives after experts raised concerns about the legality of the government’s approach ..read more

And They Lived … Ever After is a south Asian book of reworked European classics written by women with disabilities A deaf Snow White, a blind Cinderella, a neurodivergent ugly duckling and a wheelchair-using Rapunzel: classic European fairytales have been reimagined in a new anthropology of stories written by south Asian women with disabilities. “When disabled people don’t see themselves in the world, it tells us that we don’t deserve to exist, that these stories are not for us, that stories of love and friendship are not for us, and certainly not happy endings,” says Nidhi Ashok Goyal, the fo ..read more

Rishi Sunak has said it is his ‘moral mission’ to end Britain’s sicknote culture. The Guardian’s John Harris speaks to the disability campaigner Hannah Deakin and the New Economics Foundation’s head of social policy, Tom Pollard, about why the current system is failing people. Plus, the political correspondent Kiran Stacey runs us through the latest from Westminster ..read more

DWP carried out research in response to criticism five years ago but has consistently refused to publish it Ministers have pledged to publish a long-buried internal study into the emotional and financial impact of fines and prosecutions incurred by tens of thousands of unpaid carers for falling foul of strict carer’s allowance earnings rules. The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) agreed to carry out the research at the insistence of MPs five years ago after they criticised it for having no understanding of the misery and hardship inflicted on unpaid carers by its policies ..read more

Johnny Timpson says he wants to ‘take a stand’ after revelations thousands of unpaid carers are being forced to pay huge fines One of Rishi Sunak’s dementia advisers has resigned over the government’s approach towards unpaid carers, describing the prosecutions of vulnerable people as “beyond the pale”. Johnny Timpson, who advised No 10 on its dementia strategy, said he wanted to “take a stand” after the Guardian revealed that tens of thousands of unpaid carers were being fined huge sums and in some cases prosecuted for minor infringements of earnings rules ..read more

With his claims of a ‘sicknote culture’, the prime minister is scapegoating those worst affected by 14 years of Conservative rule When a prime minister knows he is heading for electoral wipeout, he has one of two options. He can choose dignified statesmanship, using his remaining months in power to bring about as much unity and stability as possible. Or he can choose desperation, grasping for votes by scapegoating marginalised people, and leaving division and misery in his wake. Rishi Sunak has gone for the second option. On Friday, he announced a new crackdown on disability benefits that has ..read more

Rishi Sunak’s latest plan to cut benefits was presented in misleading packaging Even by the low standards of his government, Rishi Sunak’s speech about the benefits system on Friday was disappointing. Worsening public health across the UK is widely recognised to be among the most serious challenges facing the country. For 2.8 million working-age people to be “economically inactive”, as they are, is not a good or sustainable situation. But there is no such thing as a “sicknote culture”. Statutory sick pay in the UK is low by international standards, and UK workers take fewer sick days than ..read more

Closure of Work and Health Programme comes hard on heels of Rishi Sunak’s bid to end the UK’s supposed ‘sicknote’ culture A major scheme to help disabled people into work has been quietly scrapped – just as the prime minister announced a crackdown on disability benefits. The £100m Work and Health Programme, operating in England and Wales, will end in the autumn, providers have been told, at the same time that Rishi Sunak wants to cut benefits for 420,000 sick and disabled people in an attempt to force them into work – a move that charities say would instead leave people destitute ..read more

With season two of Heartbreak High out now, the actor and disability advocate answers a bunch of randomly selected questions – including her totally useless secret skill Should tomato sauce be kept in the fridge or the cupboard? In the fridge. 100%. My favourite food combo is something really cold with something really hot. Like apple pie and ice-cream. Hot pie with cold tomato sauce. My husband says you have to keep it in the cupboard. I’m like, “do you want me to divorce you ..read more

Charities say high rates of people signed off work are caused by crumbling public services after years of underinvestment Rishi Sunak has been accused of making mental ill health “another front in the culture wars”, as critics warned his plan to curb benefits for some with anxiety and depression was an assault on disabled people. In a speech on welfare, the prime minister said he wanted to explore withdrawing a major cash benefit claimed by people living with mental health problems and replacing it with treatment. Shifting responsibility for issuing fit notes, formerly known as sicknotes, away ..read more