In a major moment for our community, Tessa Munt MP has quoted directly from MEA policy work during a Westminster Hall debate on support for people with ME. Her speech raised serious concerns about DWP reforms and echoed the lived experiences of people with ME/CFS or Long Covid who are being failed by a system they can’t safely navigate. Read our response and what this means for the campaign.
During the Westminster Hall debate on 20 November 2025, Tessa Munt MP gave a powerful and well-informed speech on the realities faced by people with ME, with a particular focus on the benefits system. Drawing directly from a briefing prepared by the ME Association, she proceeded to quote verbatim from our analysis of the systemic injustices faced by people with ME/CFS and Long Covid.
Her speech spotlighted how the welfare system is not only structurally flawed, but actively compounds the disadvantage experienced by people with energy-limiting, multisystemic illnesses. In quoting our briefing, she underlined that these individuals face “intersectional and compounding barriers” when interacting with the DWP, including widespread misunderstanding of their condition, poor-quality assessments, systemic disbelief, and the cumulative harm of being required to repeatedly prove their illness in order to access basic support.
Tessa went on to raise specific concerns about two of the most dangerous proposals currently under consideration: the abolition of the Work Capability Assessment and the replacement of New Style ESA with a time-limited Unemployment Insurance scheme. She noted that these changes would have disproportionately negative effects on people with ME/CFS, especially women, who are both more likely to be affected by ME and more likely to be financially disadvantaged or dependent on a partner. The loss of individual income, she rightly pointed out, could increase the risk of financial abuse and coercive control.
She also drew attention to the vital safeguards currently embedded in Regulations 29 and 35 of the ESA Regulations, which protect people whose health would be seriously harmed by mandatory work-related activity. Removing these protections, she warned, could expose people with ME to long-term deterioration, relapse, and serious health consequences.
This intervention marks a significant milestone for the ME community. It brings national parliamentary attention to the growing anxiety around proposed welfare reforms and publicly affirms the lived experiences of thousands of people who feel marginalised and misunderstood by the system. The ME Association will continue to work with supportive MPs like Tessa Munt to ensure that these voices are not only heard but acted upon.
Ella Smith
Welfare Rights Consultant,
The ME Association
ME Association Response to the Debate
The ME Association has produced a full blog with further information and Dr Charles Shepherd, MEA Hon. Medical Adviser's, response to the debate. Read it here:
More Information:
- MP Tessa Munt has tabled ME/CFS debate in Westminster Hall this week | November 17, 2025