MPS back Katie Price’s call for new ‘disabled abuse’ law

MPs have backed a petition from model Katie Price to introduce a law protecting disabled people from abuse online.

Ms Price, who used to be known as Jordan, has campaigned to raise awareness of the abuse aimed at her 16-year-old son Harvey, who is partially blind, autistic and has Prader-willi syndrome, which leads to learning difficulties.

She gave evidence to the House of Commons Petitions Committee (pictured), saying “the most horrific things” had been said online about her son.

Police have previously arrested two people over hateful comments targeting Harvey, but there were no criminal offences related to disabilities they could charge them with – unlike race and religion.

Ms Price’s online petition attracted more than 220,000 signatures in 2017, before ending early because of the snap General Election.

A report from the Petitions Committee has now said a law is needed to tackle the “toxic environments” disabled people face online.

Committee chair Helen Jones MP said its inquiry showed that “social media is rife with horrendous, degrading and dehumanising comments about people with disabilities”.

She added that the law covering online abuse is “not fit for purpose” and that it’s “truly shameful that disabled people have been forced off social media while their abusers face no consequences”.