Tory candidate claims people with learning difficulties 'don't understand money'

A Conservative candidate has plumbed new depths after publicly defending an article claiming that people with learning difficulties should be paid less on the grounds that “they don’t understand money”.

Sally-Ann Hart, candidate for Hastings and Rye (the former seat of Amber Rudd), was booed at a hustings event after being asked about an article from The Spectator that she had shared on Facebook.

She replied to the question in no uncertain terms:

It was about people with learning difficulties – about them being given the opportunity to work because it’s to do with the happiness they have about working.

Some people with learning difficulties don’t understand about money.

It is about having a therapeutic exemption and the article was in support of employing people with learning disabilities. That’s what it was about.

Twitter was not impressed with the comments and not shy about making that clear.

Labour's shadow disabilities minister Marsha de Cordova has strongly condemned the comments:

If Boris Johnson wins next Thursday, the hostile environment the Conservatives have created for disabled people will push even more into poverty.

Disabled people are already shut out of employment and have been disproportionately harmed by the Conservative and Lib Dems’ cuts.

Now, these comments further expose the contempt the Conservatives feel for disabled people, which underlie their policies towards us.

These aren’t comments Sally-Ann Hart made years ago. She made them during this election. Anyone with such hateful views has no place in Parliament.

The Conservative party have been contacted for comment.