Rosa Monckton: Pay disabled workers below minimum wage

This is what she had to say

Rosa Monckton, a close friend of Princess Diana has said people with learning difficulties should be able to work for less.

Monckton has a daughter with Down’s Syndrome and has said that unless the law is changed, these people will be denied human dignity.

Charity Mencap has said its important for businesses to create the right roles.

A total of 1.4m people in the UK have learning disabilities, only six per cent of these people are in paid work. This is based on data gathered from the Health and Social Care Information Centre in 2015.

Monckton wrote in the Spectator: “Services are closing, and day centres barely exist any more, so what lies ahead for people like my daughter?”

“Unless the law changes, they can expect a life spent in the shadows, slumped on a sofa, eating the wrong sort of food, watching daytime television.”

“This is not about the right to a minimum wage, it is about the right to have the human dignity that comes with work, and with being included.”

She added: “In practice, money isn’t the real point.”

“People with a learning disability may still be living with their parents.”

“Very often they have no understanding of money,”