On Thursday in Parliament I highlighted how the government must do more to help close the employment gap for autistic people. One of my major campaign priorities as an MP is for Bristol – and the UK – to become autism friendly. Research by the National Autistic Society has found that 77% of unemployed autistic people want to work and that 40% currently working part-time wish to work more hours. Furthermore, they found that autistic people want the opportunity to work in a wide variety of industries – from scientific research to the arts.

But many people in Bristol West tell me they encounter barriers when seeking employment. In my speech on Thursday I highlighted how the government could do more to support employers, and offer more training to Jobcentre staff on autism awareness so that autistic people’s potential does not continue to go untapped.

You can see a clip of my speech below, or watch the whole speech here, or read the transcript of the debate on Hansard.