Glasgow Disability Alliance says it is proud of its CEO Tressa Burke after she refused to accept an honour for services to disabled people “as the situation for disabled people in the UK is simply intolerable”.

In a statement on X (formerly Twitter) Glasgow Disability Alliance (GDA) said:

“Today GDA is proud of our CEO, Tressa Burke for declining the Prime Minister's nomination for an MBE in the New Year Honours [saying] “I feel that I cannot accept a personal honour because disabled people are being so dishonoured at this time."

Following the publication of the 2026 New Year Honours list by the UK government, Ms Burke released the text of a letter she had sent to a UK government official explaining why she was not prepared to accept the nomination for an MBE.

The text of Ms Burke’s letter:

‘Despite being grateful that the life-changing work of my organisation, Glasgow Disability Alliance, has been acknowledged, I feel that I cannot accept a personal honour because disabled people are being so dishonoured at this time. In fact, we are being demonised dehumanised and scapegoated for political choices and policy failures by consecutive governments.

‘Disabled people are becoming more unwell due to unfair, inadequate and inaccessible work, barriers to securing work, inadequate benefit levels and rising extra costs including back door taxation for social care support and rising costs like heating, clothing and vital independent living equipment. And the political choices made in the UK budget have supercharged the inequalities and unfairness, disabled people face.

‘I received your letter the day of the UK budget, Wednesday, 26th November and was opening it as the budget was being read. Although there are some positives in the budget, there is far more harm than good for disabled people: it is another missed opportunity to make real changes which would have improved disabled people's lives. Disabled people have suffered horrendous impacts of 15 years of austerity, the COVID pandemic and the cost of living crisis. These impacts including reduced life outcomes from participation and families, communities, education and work to our very lives being reduced – 60% of all who died of COVID in Scotland were disabled people and we have now the compelling evidence of the UK COVID inquiry to back this up.

‘Disabled people are also experiencing health inequalities so that life – while lived – is lived with more illness and barriers, and sometimes early death. GDA has lost hundreds of members over the years since the pandemic and tragically, some of these have been to suicide. And in turn, some of this is attributed to policy failures, resulting in poverty, homelessness, lack of support and social isolation and loneliness for disabled people of all ages.

‘Some of the good things in the budget include increases to disability benefits in line with inflation, extended award period for PIP and removal of two child benefit cap and for these measures, Glasgow Disability Alliance and our members are grateful. However, these are vastly overshadowed by the extremely draconian actions being taken which negatively impact disabled people's lives and plunge them into further poverty, removing them even more from living lives of meaning and fulfilment.

‘Disabled people needed the UK government to take action to uphold their rights to support to be realised in relation to social care across the lifespan. Instead, I note an increase to investment in children's social care, which is not matched with any increase in investment in adult social care which is so very much needed to keep our NHS afloat and to enable disable people to live independent lives of meaning and choices.’

The response

Since the letter was made public, Ms Burke added in a further post:

“I have been contacted by disabled people and their families, carers and supporters in various ways, reinforcing support for my decision to reject an MBE because they agree: disabled people are suffering and political choices by @UKGov have caused this”.

Read more about Tressa Burke and the GDA: Government ‘lacks urgency’ on care reforms ; ‘Leaps’ needed to secure change for disabled people; Lived experience at centre of care advisory group; Cost-of-living ‘devastating’ for disabled people

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