Term ‘disabled’ in danger of losing all meaning, says Badenoch

Kemi Badenoch said Britain ‘cannot afford to support one in four people who now classify themselves as disabled’. Photograph: Andy Rain/EPA

The leader of the Conservatives, Kemi Badenoch, has said she does not believe one in four people are disabled and the term is in danger of losing its meaning, as she used a speech to criticise the size of the welfare state.

Badenoch called for restrictions on disability benefits for those suffering conditions including food intolerances, anxiety and mild depression.