Ben Furner
17.9K posts
@BenFurner
PR consultant on social policy issues, esp disability. Occasional bit of journalism. Cat fosterer. I eat too much Nutella and like being an uncle.
We’ve announced the latest cohort of NIHR Senior Investigators, reflecting the breadth of modern research leadership. For the first time, the cohort includes two senior research leaders from Northern Ireland, alongside increased representation from post-1992 universities. Senior Investigators are among NIHR’s most influential researchers, driving innovation, mentoring future leaders, and shaping policy and practice. Learn more about this year's cohort.👉nihr.ac.uk/news/new-nihr-…
EXCL: 65% of people back the assisted dying bill, just 14% oppose it, as it’s held up in the Lords. One dying man pleads with peers from his hospice bed to give him a choice. ITV News is featuring stories from both sides of the debate as time runs out. itv.com/news/2026-03-1…
Really disappointed to see how partisan some of the broadcast coverage on Leadbetter bill has been, especially from @PaulBrandITV @itvnews. A national broadcaster community noted on potential legislation which will lead to seismic changes in our health service? Shame on you
@nmdacosta @PaulBrandITV @itvnews @Ipsos_in_the_UK @PigsAndPolling 65% of people do not support this bill. They might support the principle, but not this appallingly dangerous, badly drafted abomination. There is no professional or public support for it. To pretend that there is, is simply desperate propaganda.
EXCL: 65% of people back the assisted dying bill, just 14% oppose it, as it’s held up in the Lords. One dying man pleads with peers from his hospice bed to give him a choice. ITV News is featuring stories from both sides of the debate as time runs out. itv.com/news/2026-03-1…
"I'm just begging the House Of Lords to face the facts... please, please, let this compassionate, sensible, practical, scrutinised bill pass the way it was intended" Dame Esther Rantzen urges the House of Lords not to block the assisted dying bill. #Newsnight
Remarkable speech from Pam Duncan-Glancy (Independent): “There will be countless disabled people in our constituencies who haven’t had the choice to have a shower in weeks. People who can’t choose when they go to bed. Some who will already be in bed. “People who can’t choose what to eat. People who can’t choose to go out of their house, because it isn’t accessible. People tonight who can’t choose the care or the healthcare they need, including at the end, because it simply isn’t available for them. “And crucially, there will be disabled people whose struggle is so hard that they’ve given up hope, given up fighting, and will be considering tonight taking their own lives. “I know this, because I have been all of these people I’ve described. They live in fear every single day, worrying about what new limit someone else will put on their lives, and what little power they will have to change it. They live every single day without choice at all… “In a world where so many have little or no choice, we can’t risk making death the only choice they ever have.”
Pam Duncan-Glancy tells @heraldscotland she feels 'sick' ahead of the assisted dying bill as she shares her concerns over safeguards for disabled people and urges MSPs to vote against the proposals. Read the latest on our live blog: heraldscotland.com/news/25941972.…
BREAKING: MSPs reject the Assisted Dying for Terminally Ill Adults (Scotland) Bill by 69 to 57.
In the end more MSPs understood that the risks were too great. For now. As this BBC headline makes clear, the battle is far from over. We must continue to make the case that disabled people's voices and concerns must be central to this debate. #post" target="_blank" rel="nofollow noopener">bbc.co.uk/news/live/cx2g…
