Adolescence writer Jack Thorne slams 'savagery' of government cuts to Access To Work payments

Adolescence writer Jack Thorne has challenged the government over the impact of devastating cuts to Access To Work – a Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) scheme that helps disabled people stay in employment.

Thorne used his winners’ speech at the Broadcasting Press Guild Awards in London, where he picked up the Best Writer trophy for his work on Adolescence, Toxic Town and The Hack, to highlight an issue close to his heart.

“Thank you very much for this. It means a huge amount. I think it’s an award that basically says, I write too much and I should shut up a bit. But I appreciate it nonetheless,” he began, before pivoting into politics.

“If I could hijack this moment and talk about my other co-writer – not the big lad in the third row [Stephen Graham], but Annalisa D’Innella [who wrote three episodes of The Hack].

“Annalisa D’Innella is a brilliant writer. She’s partially sighted. And she’s just had her Access to Work cut by 85% by the savagery of this government.”

There have been no formally announced changes to the Access To Work scheme’s eligibility guidance. However, in the last 18 months, increasing numbers of disabled people have reporting severe reductions to their payments.

The cuts, which have left disabled people struggling to continue with their careers, have been widely criticised. The National Audit Office warned last month that delays and backlogs in processing Access to Work applications have more than doubled over the past four years.

Read more:

• Disabled people warn of brutal ‘secret’ cuts to DWP Access to Work support: ‘It’s been horrific’ 
• Disabled woman forced to quit job she loves after DWP support slashed: ‘I can’t make it make sense’
• Adolescence writer Jack Thorne: ‘I was as angry as Jamie in lots of ways’

Thorne has a long-standing commitment to issues around disability. It’s there in his work – from Then Barbara Met Alan to Cast Offs, Best Interests and Don’t Take My Baby. And it is there in his advocacy. The writer co-founded the TV Access Project in 2022, following his high-profile MacTaggart Lecture at the Edinburgh International Television Festival, in which he called out the television industry for having “utterly failed” disabled people.

“They’re doing this to disabled people all over the country,” said Thorne, from the stage at the Barbican. “And they’re doing this to our profession. It’s not just Annalisa, it’s Kyla Harris [creator and star of BBC comedy We Might Regret This], it’s Bryony Arnold [producer of ITV’s Code of Silence], it’s Jenny Sealey [artistic director Graeae theatre company].

“And I just wanted to ask people in this room to elevate what’s going on. To help us fight this. The TV Access Project (TAP) is the best thing I’ve ever been a part of. What we’ve tried to do in the last four years is change the landscape for disabled people in this country and disabled people in our industry.

“And we are going to fail unless the Access to Work cuts are reversed. So, please, if you can elevate this battle, please do so. Because we need you.”

A DWP spokesperson recently told Big Issue that Access to Work “supports thousands of sick or disabled people to start or stay in work, but the scheme we inherited is failing employees and employers.

“That’s why we’re working with disabled people and their organisations to improve it – ensuring people have the support, skills, and opportunities to move into good, secure jobs as part of our Plan for Change.”

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