Cerebral palsy: Paul Maynard MP says he is mocked for being drunk

Paul Maynard has called for better support for those with the condition

An MP with cerebral palsy has said he regularly receives messages accusing him of being drunk when he speaks in Parliament.

Paul Maynard, a Conservative MP for Blackpool North and Cleveleys, said people with the condition needed better support in preparing for adulthood.

He said they were likely to face misconceptions and a lack of understanding of the condition.

Health minister Helen Whately praised him for his courage in speaking out.

Cerebral palsy is the name for a group of lifelong conditions which affect movement and co-ordination.

Mr Maynard, who is chairman of the All-Party Group (APG) on Cerebral Palsy, was speaking during an adjournment debate in the Commons.

"There will be people watching today on their TVs assuming I am drunk, because that always happens," he said.

"Every time I stand up in this place I get an email saying 'why were you drunk before you appeared in the chamber' when I appear on TV.

"I personally find it quite ironic because I am actually allergic to alcohol. It's a trigger for my epilepsy."

He said preconceptions about cerebral palsy were "rife, day in, day out".

'Depressed by policy'

Mr Maynard said he has been "consistently struck and indeed depressed by how policy and practice, as well as day-to-day experience, has not moved on since my own passage through education and early adult life".

He cited a report which heard there is ignorance about the condition and incorrect assumptions of mental incapacity.

The health minister said she would meet with Mr Maynard about his concerns, adding: "I think that he has argued and the report argues very compellingly for further action."

Ms Whately added: "I believe that this House is all the better for its diversity, whatever form that is in.

"But drawing on experience takes courage, as does doing a job in the public eye.

"And [Mr Maynard] demonstrated his double courage on that this afternoon as he told us, and in fact has told me before, how he has, amongst other things, been mocked for his own cerebral palsy."