Campaigner turned down MBE over scapegoating' of people with disabilities

"Tressa Burke, chief executive officer of the Glasgow Disability Alliance, had been recommended by the prime minister for the honour for her services to people with disabilities. Over two decades, Burke has grown the organisation from seed into a nationally recognised voice for disabled people in Scotland's largest city, and supported more than 5,000 members through the pandemic."

"Burke, who emphasises she means no disrespect to colleagues in the voluntary sector who have accepted similar honours, explains that she received the letter of recommendation on the day of the UK budget, which introduced stricter assessments for personal independent payments, frozen or reduced universal credit health top-ups and cuts to the Motability scheme. The budget was an opportunity to send out a signal not about how much disabled people cost but about how much disabled people are worth and are valued by society."

"Instead, she says, it has supercharged the inequalities and unfairness disabled people face. It is fuelling misinformation. It is fuelling hatred. It is fuelling blame and scapegoating. When the biggest problem we have is that taxation needs to be addressed and if we could all get behind that, including the most wealthy people, we would be able to offer the provision of a welfare state."

Tressa Burke, chief executive of Glasgow Disability Alliance, declined an MBE recommended by the prime minister because she believes government policies and rhetoric demonise, dehumanise and scapegoat disabled people. Burke grew the organisation over two decades into a nationally recognised voice and supported more than 5,000 members through the pandemic. She received the recommendation on the day of a UK budget that introduced stricter assessments for personal independent payments, frozen or reduced universal credit health top-ups, and cuts to the Motability scheme. Burke says the budget has supercharged inequalities, fuelled misinformation, hatred and blame, and missed an opportunity to signal social value and invest through fair taxation to sustain a welfare state.

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