The number of people claiming Personal Independence Payment has reached a record 4.1mn, official figures show, increasing pressure on the government to reform a benefit whose cost has more than doubled in recent years.
The number of PIP claimants rose 2 per cent between May and July, from 4.01mn, according to figures from the Department for Work and Pensions. The increase comes as ministers prepare for potentially sweeping changes to the benefit later this year.
PIP is currently under review by social security minister Stephen Timms, with his final report expected to be presented to the government in the autumn. Interim findings published earlier this year concluded that the system was “not fit for purpose”.
Early recommendations indicate that reform could include greater use of face-to-face assessments and vouchers for specific costs, replacing the current system of cash payments.
The growth in PIP claims has become a central issue in the government’s efforts to contain rising welfare spending. Total spending on health-related benefits is estimated at £77.1bn in 2025/26, more than double the £36bn recorded in 2019/20.
Over the same period, the number of PIP claimants has doubled from about 2mn to 4.1mn.
The prime minister’s official spokesperson said: “On welfare generally, our position is clear. The PM has said before that we’ve got to get serious as a country about welfare reform, but he has also said that doesn’t mean crude cuts that simply push people into crisis and create bigger costs elsewhere.
“Our work on welfare across the board is about tackling the structural drivers and changing the nature of the support so that we ultimately deliver a system that sets people up for success rather than pays for failure.”
The government previously abandoned proposals to tighten PIP eligibility after more than 100 Labour MPs threatened to rebel. The changes had been expected to reduce welfare spending by about £5bn.
Separate DWP data showed the number of people claiming the health-related element of Universal Credit reached 3.6mn in June, an annual increase of 23 per cent, or 680,000 people.
However, the department said 66 per cent of that increase resulted from the winding down of legacy benefits that have been replaced by Universal Credit.
Helen Whately, shadow work and pensions secretary, said: “Our sickness benefits system is broken and Labour refuse to fix it. It’s too quick to write people off and too slow to help them into work. And it’s costing us a fortune.”
The DWP said the pace of growth in PIP claims had slowed, from 400,000 in the 12 months to July 2024 to 260,000 in the year to July 2026.
“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,” a DWP spokesperson said.
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