The number of people receiving Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for disabilities has surged to over four million under Labour's leadership, marking an increase of nearly 500,000 since last year. The rise is particularly notable among psychiatric conditions like ADHD, with claims more than doubling in three years. This surge has pushed annual spending on PIP to £27.3 billion and is forecasted to reach £41.5 billion by 2030-31. Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately criticizes the current system for being costly and ineffective, while also highlighting Labour's reluctance to reform it despite facing significant financial burdens.
Written by the local model on 2026-09-16,
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More than four million people are now getting disability benefits after the number of claimants surged by almost 500,000 to a record high under Labour.
More than 100,000 additional people were handed Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for psychiatric conditions including ADHD last year – almost 40 per cent of all new disability benefit claims.
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people → see → claims
A total of 4.09million people in England and Wales were entitled to claim PIP as of July 31, according to new data from the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP).
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total → entitle → Work
This is an increase of 262,045 – or 7 per cent – from 3.83million at the same point last year and represents a rise of 484,843 people claiming disability benefits since Labour came to power.
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Labour → represent → power
The number of people claiming PIP for ADHD has more than doubled in three years.
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number → claim → years
Claims for the condition rose from 13,480 in 2022-23 to 31,790 in 2025-26 – an increase of 135.8 per cent.
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Across all psychiatric conditions, 108,660 new claims were awarded in 2025-26 – representing 37.1 per cent of the new claim awards made in the year to July.
Of the 4.09million total PIP claimants, some 83 per cent are of working age.
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cent → award → age
People aged 50 and over accounted for 55 per cent of that figure, 30 to 49-year-olds made up almost 29 per cent and 16 to 29-year-olds almost 17 per cent.
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olds → age → cent
Shadow work and pensions secretary Helen Whately said: ‘Our sickness benefits system is broken and Labour refuse to fix it.
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Labour → say → it
It’s too quick to write people off and too slow to help them into work.
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It → ’ → work
And it’s costing us a fortune.
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it → cost → fortune
‘Labour’s work and pensions secretary said himself that all Labour MPs want to do is tax people more to pay for more benefits.
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MPs → say → benefits
‘The Conservatives are doing a root and branch review of our sickness benefits system.
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Conservatives → do → system
We will stop claims for low-level mental health, rapidly re-assess hundreds of thousands of claims face-to-face the moment we enter government, and get Britain working again.’
DWP figures show that spending on PIP stood at £16.3billion in 2019-20, when adjusted for inflation to today’s prices, and had increased to £27.3billion by 2024-25.
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spending → stop → 2024
It is forecast to rise to £41.5billion by 2030-31.
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It → forecast → 2030
PIP is the main benefit paid to someone who has a long-term physical or mental health condition or disability, and is intended to help with everyday tasks and extra living costs.
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who → pay → tasks
The number of people claiming PIP has ballooned since the pandemic and more than 1,000 new claims are being approved every day, largely driven by a huge surge in mental health diagnoses.
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claims → claim → diagnoses
Last year Labour was forced to abandon plans to trim the disability benefits bill by £5billion following a major backbench rebellion.
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Labour → force → rebellion
Instead the proposals to tighten PIP eligibility were shelved pending a review – despite the Government’s own forecast warning it will cost £70billion a year by the end of this Parliament without action.
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it → tighten → action
Sir Stephen Timms is conducting a review of the PIP system, but in the meantime he suggested that the Government should make it even easier for claimants to seek disability benefits
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claimants → conduct → benefits
The Government-commissioned review, led by social security minister Sir Stephen Timms, is due to report back this autumn.
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review → commission → Timms
Its interim findings in July branded the system ‘no longer fit for purpose’.
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findings → brand → purpose
However Sir Stephen’s interim report also suggested that disability benefits should be made as 'easy as possible' to claim as it is too 'stressful' for claimants, leading opposition politicians to warn it will do nothing to cut the runaway benefits bill.
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it → suggest → bill
The new DWP figures showed that, of the more than four million PIP claimants at the end of July, some 1.6million were listed as having a psychiatric disorder.
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1.6million → show → disorder
This represents 39 per cent of all disability benefits claimants – the highest proportion for any type of disability.
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This → represent → disability
Some 268,965 claimants were classed as having autistic spectrum disorders, a further 442,666 had mixed anxiety and depressive disorders, while 106,087 had ADHD.
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106,087 → class → ADHD
The Prime Minister’s official spokesman said Andy Burnham believes 'we have got to get serious as a country about welfare reform'.
But they added 'that doesn’t mean crude cuts that simply push people into crisis and create bigger costs elsewhere'.
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that → say → costs
The No10 spokesman said: 'Our work on welfare across the board is about tackling the structural drivers and changing the nature of the support, and that we ultimately deliver a system that sets people up for success rather than pays for failure.'
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that → say → failure
A DWP spokesman said: ‘The increase in the PIP caseload has slowed under this government, falling from 400,000 in the 12 months to July 2024, to 260,000 in the 12 months to July 2026.
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increase → say → July
‘But as the Timms Review report made clear, PIP is no longer fit for purpose and the recommendations from its final report, due in Autumn, will lay the foundation for sustainable reform.
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recommendations → make → reform
‘We are also delivering on our commitment to increase face-to-face assessments, which have more than doubled for PIP from 7 per cent in June 2024 to 15 per cent in July 2026.’
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which → deliver → July
The Aporia
