A report published by Just Fair, a consortium of 80 national charities including Amnesty International, Save the Children, and Oxfam, says the UK is in clear breach of its legal obligations. Support structures for many disabled people have disappeared or are under threat as local authorities cut social care budgets, while cuts to benefits will leave many disabled people without crucial help for daily living.

Britain is a signatory to a binding UN convention on the rights of people with disabilities, and the international covenant on economic, social and cultural rights.

Austerity measures and welfare reforms such as the bedroom tax mean the rights of disabled people to independent living, work, and social security have been undermined, causing significant hardship, say campaigners.

Jane Campbell, a cross-bench peer who is disabled said: "It is both extremely worrying and deeply sad that the UK – for so long regarded as an international leader in protecting and promoting disabled people's rights – now risks sleepwalking towards the status of a systematic violator of these same rights."  READ MORE