Disability rights activists waited with bated breath yesterday as a potentially "devastating" ruling loomed at the Court of Appeal in London.

The future of Britain's Independent Living Fund hung in the balance as the Morning Star went to press, with a panel of judges still considering whether to grant an appeal that alleges the government's decision to scrap the scheme was unlawful.

Around 19,000 people across Britain have disabilities severe enough to draw on the £320 million fund, which pays for personal assistants to help carry out basic tasks such as cleaning and cooking, allowing them to live independently rather than in care homes.