Mum of woman who took own life after benefits halted takes calls for fresh inquest to Parliament

The mother of a woman from Stockton who took her own life after her benefits were stopped has gone to Parliament to push for a public inquiry into her death.

Disability payments made to 42-year-old Jodey Whiting were halted after she missed an assessment meeting.

Jodey's mother Joy Dove was among families with similar experiences who met members of the Labour Party to ask them to back their calls for an inquiry.

Ms Dove has been seeking a new inquest to investigate the family's concerns about the role of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) in her death and the handling of her claim for Employment and Support Allowance.

She said: "They'll never be able to apologise and they'll never be able to bring our loved ones back but it's to change the system and help others.

"There are too many people it's affecting."

Permission was granted to apply to the High Court for a second inquest in 2020, so that the role of the DWP in Ms Whiting's death could be investigated. However, this was dismissed following a two-day hearing in September of the following year.

Ms Dove applied to the High Court for permission to appeal that decision in October 2021 but this was refused.

She then made an application to the Court of Appeal, which was granted in October 2022.