The Coronavirus Act was passed in March, giving powers to central and local government to give Ministers emergency powers to fight the pandemic. In England, local authorities only had a duty to meet social care needs where withdrawal would breach a person’s human rights. In his letter, Sir Ed, who is also a patron of the Disability Law Service, stresses to Mr Johnson that legal advice shows that the changes made are a breach of the UK's obligations under international law. He adds: "Polling by YouGov has shown that two-thirds of the public believe that the social care reductions introduced by the Coronavirus Act are 'unacceptable'. "The Government must repeal the powers in the Coronavirus Act to “switch on” these easements immediately."

Source: Daily Mirror September 29, 2020 19:21 UTC