The Conservative Party should not play politics with the compensation claims of injured people, leading personal injury and trade union solicitors Thompsons has warned.
Tom Jones, Thompsons' director of policy and public affairs, said:
'The Tories are playing politics with genuinely injured people's compensation claims. They know there is no compensation culture in Britain, and have said so before this week. The fact is that personal injury claims are falling year on year. What there may be, and what they will certainly encourage by their cynical antics at their conference, is risk aversion. The only people to gain will be the insurance industry.
'Glib references to 'compensation culture' and attacks on health and safety regulations disrespect the rights of the genuinely injured.
'David Davis talking about a 'spurious idea of health and safety' allegedly preventing police officers from rescuing a drowning child, and David Willetts claiming that teachers are living 'in fear' of allowing children to go on outdoor trips is simply stoking the fire that the Tories claim to want to put out.
'Anyone would think that teachers face legal action over accidents to children on school trips on a weekly basis. The fact is they don't. Teachers and youth volunteers have no need to live in fear of compensation claims against them. The law on negligence is clear, an individual will not be found liable for an accident unless they are proved to be at fault.'
