Chris McCausland, comedian and this year’s winner of Strictly Come Dancing, will urge the government to bring about reduced wait times for employment support for disabled people when he presents Channel 4’s ‘Alternative Christmas Message’ on Wednesday.
The broadcast, first started in 1993, sees presenters offer up a “thought-provoking message […] pertinent to the events of the past year” on Christmas Day as an alternative to the one delivered by the monarch – with past presenters including whistleblower Edward Snowden, child survivors of the Grenfell Tower fire and a ‘deepfake’ of Queen Elizabeth II.
Last year’s message was presented by broadcaster Stephen Fry, who used the address to talk about the rise in antisemitism.
In this year’s message, airing at 4:50pm on Christmas Day, McCausland, who is blind, will say: “I feel very lucky to be born into one of the most developed, relatively accepting and progressive countries in the world. But why is it that it’s a country where 50% of disabled people of working age are without employment? That’s twice the national average.
“Why is it that 75% of blind and partially sighted people of working age are without employment? That’s three times the national average.
“Is that discrimination? Well, I would argue it is, so let’s try and fix it, eh?”
The comedian will go on to add that the government can “commit to something better than what they already do” when it comes to Access to Work, the “vital” government service which funds support and equipment for disabled employees.
McCausland will then tell viewers: “It is wonderful that it exists, but I believe it’s under resourced. I’ve heard too many stories of disabled people securing employment, to then only have to wait far too long to obtain the support that they need.
“The national average is 43 days. This needs to be shorter. I want to see this wait time brought down to under four weeks – that seems fair, doesn’t it?”
As of 7 October, some 55,500 applications for Access to Work were outstanding, with employment minister Alison McGovern MP responding to a written question from Liberal Democrat MP Steve Darling to state the department is prioritising applications from individuals “who are about to start a job, and renewals”.
Chris will state: “Delays to this service strip away our confidence, our dignity, and our purpose in the workplace and I think, probably, also risk an employer’s desire to recruit anybody else in the future who may require adjustments.”
In its statement to Liam O’Dell, the Department for Work and Pensions did not comment on McCausland’s calls for reduced waiting times for Access to Work support.
Instead, a spokesperson said: “We’re committed to delivering opportunities for all – including disabled people who want to work but have been denied the support they need.
“Building on our ‘Get Britain Working’ White Paper we will bring forward proposals for reforming the health and disability benefits system in the spring, as part of a proper plan to genuinely support disabled people into work.
“We’ve also brought in extra staff to process Access to Work claims while making online applications easier so we can help more people get the support they need.”
Meanwhile, Sky has confirmed that this year will be the first time it will provide British Sign Language (BSL) interpretation for King Charles’ Christmas speech, with former See Hear presenter Clive Mason interpreting the address in a simulcast on Sky Mix from 3pm (GMT).
It will also come with sign language and audio description.
Images: Richard Ansett/Channel 4.