Two members of the Reigniting Debate Team, Katherine Runswick-Cole (University of Sheffield) and Sara Ryan (Manchester Metropolitan University) were invited by John McDonnell MP to present research findings to members of the House of Commons and the House of Lords at a parliamentary drop in event in Westminster on 23rd April 2025.
They shared a timeline of the broken promises made to people with learning disabilities as part of the Transforming Care policy agenda since 2011. There have been recent and renewed calls for change across the UK to ensure that people with learning disabilities are not inappropriately detained in hospitals when they should be living in the community.
At the parliamentary event, John McDonnell MP explained that the materials provided by the research teams were particularly useful as the Welfare Reform Green Paper makes its way through the stages of becoming legislation.
Katherine said: “We were very grateful to John McDonnell for the opportunity to share our research findings during this crucial and very challenging time for people with learning disabilities and family carers. We were pleased to meet politicians who were keen to engage with the research and committed to drawing on the research as they engage with the green paper. We’d like to thank the research team, which includes other university partners, people with learning disabilities and family carers and the participants in the research for their time, expertise and insights.”
You can find out more about the research and the project partners here:
Some of the research referenced in this blog was funded by the National Institute for Health & Care Research (NIHR), School for Social Care Research. The views expressed are those of the authors and not necessarily those of the NIHR or the Department of Health and Social Care.