Due to the Brexit impasse in Parliament, MPs have voted to call a UK General Election, which will take place on Thursday 12th December 2019.

However, to people affected by Motor Neurone Disease, this election is much bigger than Brexit. This election will determine which party or parties will form the next government and which set of priorities will be front and centre in the upcoming term.

As a result, MND Scotland has launched a General Election Manifesto calling on candidates and parties to make important reforms to the social security system to benefit people affected by MND.

Social security provides a much needed safety net for people affected by MND. Most people with the illness will have to give up work and access social security benefits such as Personal Independence Payment (PIP) and Employment Support Allowance (ESA).

Under the current UK benefits system, people with MND have to prove they have just 6 months left to live to be fast-tracked for their benefits. This “6-month rule” is a big problem for people with MND because it is virtually impossible for someone with this complex and unpredictable illness to prove they only have 6 months left to live.

As a result, some people never receive the benefits they are entitled to.

MND Scotland and Marie Curie successfully campaigned to have this rule changed in Scotland meaning that, when certain benefits are devolved to Scotland over the coming years, the 6-month rule will no longer apply.

However, some benefits accessed by people with MND, such as Universal Credit, will continue to be administered by the UK’s Department of Work and Pensions (DWP). For those benefits, people with a terminal illness will still need to prove they have just 6 months left to live.

MND Scotland is calling on all parties and candidates to scrap the 6-month rule to make the system fairer for people with MND.

Scrapping the 6 month rule will mean that people with a terminal illness in Scotland can be fast-tracked for all of the benefits they urgently need. This will also prevent a two-tier system being created in Scotland, where some benefits are more difficult to access than others.

We need your help

Clicking a few buttons is all it takes to become an MND Scotland grassroots activist and help us reach your local candidates. The bigger noise we make; the better chance we have of persuading your local candidates to join with us in our fight to scrap the 6-month rule.

Edit: This campaign action is now closed.

You’ve already helped make a big difference in Scotland; now let’s make an even bigger difference across the UK.

If you live outside Scotland, but would still like to pledge your support, please visit www.mndassociation.org.