The double amputee marathon runner Richard Whitehead has criticised Kemi Badenoch for “weaponising his sporting success” to justify her proposed £36bn welfare cuts.
The Conservative leader used the example of “double amputees running marathons” in a speech this week to explain the reasoning behind her proposed cuts to disability benefits, which she said were enabling people to “live a life of dependency”.
Whitehead said he had been surprised at her comments and angry that his achievements were being used as part of a campaign to take money “from the most vulnerable that actually need it”.
“I was gobsmacked that somebody’s sporting success would be weaponised in this way,” he said. “To say everybody should work because double-leg amputees run marathons, I was like, wow. It’s very divisive language.
“I understand the welfare system needs a shake-up, but you shouldn’t be blanket taking money away from individuals who need it, it’s their lifeline. There are families out there relying on the support.”
Whitehead has run more than 100 marathons, set world records and won four Paralympic medals over the course of his career, while also completing endurance feats to raise money for charity.
He said several people had sent him clips of Badenoch’s speech on Tuesday and “his mouth was open” as he watched it.
After saying there were “people who genuinely cannot work”, Badenoch went on to say: “The reality is that millions of people can and do contribute to our economy, to their families, to their communities, even when they face serious challenges.
“Double amputees run marathons. People who are housebound do wonderful creative work from home. People with autism run some of the biggest tech companies in the world.”
Whitehead immediately expressed his concerns about the comments on social media. “Disability should never be judged through isolated examples of individual achievement, but through an understanding of the barriers people and families face every day,” he wrote.
“One person’s ability to overcome significant challenges should never be used to justify withdrawing support from others.”
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He invited Badenoch to have a conversation with him to learn more about disability and how it had affected his life and how he used his platform to inspire and mentor others.
“She’s utilising somebody’s success and 50 years of hard work for her own means without actually having any knowledge of who I am and the work that I do,” he said. “When I stand on a podium, I use that moment to hopefully inspire and liberate people of all minorities. She’s just looked for a headline.
“I think she needs to really reflect and think about how she communicates with the disabled community, and maybe have a conversation with myself around the work that I’m doing.”
The Conservatives said welfare savings would be made by ending disability living allowance payments to families of children with “milder cases” of behavioural disorders, learning disabilities or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD).
Badenoch said in her speech: “If you tell a young person that their ADHD means they are defective and will never amount to anything, that mindset is likely to be more destructive to their future than the condition itself.”
Whitehead said: “I would like a response from her on the terminology she used and I could educate her about the real scenario for people with neurodiversity, with ADHD, who are really struggling. And maybe with that experience she will understand that maybe she’s got it wrong.”
