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A director from Derbyshire has become the first wheelchair user to direct EastEnders since its inception in 1985. Owen Tooth, 44, from Duffield, directed the popular BBC One soap episode which aired on 14 October to more than 3.5 million viewers.

The earnings limit – the maximum amount a carer can earn a week while getting Carer’s Allowance – will raise by an unprecedented £45 to £196 per week (16 hours at the National Minimum Wage) from April 2025. The earnings limit will also be linked to future increases in the National Minimum Wage.

One of parliament’s new disabled MPs has suggested that the government should consider criminalising disability discrimination, because of the difficulty disabled people face in enforcing the Equality Act. As a guide dog-user, with a wife who also has a guide dog, Liberal Democrat Steve Darling has experienced repeated discrimination when trying to access services such as hotels, restaurants and taxis, including when trying to hire a taxi in Brighton on the way to the conference.

Scope’s Disability Price Tag report uses the Family Resources Survey to calculate the costs faced by disabled households. Findings show that disabled households now need an extra £1010 every month on average for the same standard of living as non-disabled households.

The House of Lords Public Services Committee has published the report “Think Work First: the transition from education to work for young disabled people.” This report follows an inquiry that was held last year which explored the barriers young Disabled people face when transitioning from education to employment.