PIP assessor, USA News: Any attempt to cut disability benefits could backfire by pushing even more young people out of work, former Personal Independence Payments (PIP) assessors have warned. The Government is set to overhaul PIP, arguing that the benefit claimed by 4.1 million people was not fit for purpose. Ministers are particularly keen to reform welfare to encourage more young people into work, though changes will not be set out until after the Budget.
Alan Milburn, who is leading a Government review into 16 to 24-year-olds not in education, employment or training (Neets), wants benefit cuts to redistribute money to employment support. However, the Government must be very careful not to push disabled PIP claimants who already have a job out of work, former PIP assessors told The i Paper.
Cuts Would Remove Independence to Work
Currently, PIP is not tied to work, and is aimed at meeting the extra costs of daily life and mobility faced by disabled people. Worth up to £800 a month, the money helps some disabled people stay in work by supporting their transport, equipment, care and other costs, say experts. Around one in five PIP claimants are in work, according to a 2025 survey by the Money and Mental Health Policy Institute. Of this group in work, nearly two-thirds, or 63 per cent, said they would need to reduce or give up employment if they lost PIP.
Former PIP assessor James Merrell, who worked for one of the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) contract companies from 2023 to 2024, said the Government’s rhetoric had failed to recognise how much PIP supports people in work. Merrell, a registered nurse and disability advocate, stated that removing that support risks removing independence alongside it. He expressed concern that ministers could mistake the success of working disabled people for evidence that support should be withdrawn.
Disability Does Not Have an Age Threshold
Labour ministers are reportedly considering removing the health element from universal credit for under-25s who are disabled or ill. New claimants already saw the health element cut from £429 to £217 a month in April 2026 in a bid to encourage more to seek work. Changes could also be made to PIP affecting this same under-25 age group, though those with the most severe disabilities are not expected to lose any money.
Merrell argued it would be unfair to target young people claiming PIP for any cuts or requirements to look for work, noting that disability does not have an age threshold. Nicola, a trained mental health nurse who worked on PIP assessments between 2022 and 2023, added that any push to get young claimants into work is based on a big misconception that people on PIP do not work. Shabaaz Mohammed, a campaigner with Disabled People Against Cuts Manchester, similarly noted that targeting young people would make it harder for them to search for work or training.
PIP Reform Context and Government Response
Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms is leading a review of PIP, with reforms expected later in the autumn. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has stated the review could see spending on the benefit reduced. Meanwhile, the Resolution Foundation think tank warned that PIP was actually discouraging people from seeking job training, proposing a new participation element to assist claimants.
A DWP spokesperson stated they are investing a record £3.5 billion into employment support to help disabled people and those with long-term health conditions, alongside a £2.5 billion youth employment package. The spokesperson added that as the Timms Review interim report made clear, PIP is no longer fit for purpose and final recommendations will lay the foundation for sustainable reform.
