New Government – Now We Need Action

Date posted: 5th July 2024

The United Kingdom General Election, held on 4 July 2024, has resulted in a change of government and hundreds of new MPs being elected.

With the support of our volunteers and campaigners, we shared our manifesto, ‘Eyes on Equality’, with thousands of candidates across the country.

In that manifesto, we laid out the top priorities for a new Government over its first 100 days, first year and first term to tackle the challenges faced by blind and partially sighted voters.

In the first 100 days, we suggested some quick wins that could be introduced to improve the experiences of blind and partially sighted people including:

• Enhance Accessibility: Commit to making government communications, publications and websites more accessible.
• Support Political Participation: Commit to reforms so that blind and partially sighted people can participate in the democratic process.
• Improve Employment Opportunities: Create more opportunities for when blind and partially sighted people are seeking employment.
• Advocacy and Change: Commit to supporting the Pocklington Pledge to fight for a more accessible society.
• Education: To conduct a rapid review of the current SEND and Alternative Provision Improvement plan.

Over the course of this Parliament, we will work with the new Government and new MPs, as blind and partially sighted people, to demand change and a more equitable society, both locally and nationally.

“Our concerns have been at best side-lined over many years. We want to make sure that those issues affecting us as blind and partially sighted people are not lost in the many priorities of this new Government. There is no time to waste and we want action and remedy within the new Government’s first 100 days,” said visually impaired campaigner Leon.

In the coming weeks, we will be calling on newly elected MPs to make their first act in Parliament the introduction of one of our Ten Parliamentary Bills, new legislation that would make a lasting impact on the issues concerning blind and partially sighted people across health, transport, the built environment, employment and education.

You can read more about our Ten Parliamentary Bills here.