I was a PIP assessor. Cutting handouts for young people won’t work

Any attempt to cut disability benefits could backfire by pushing even more young people out of work, former PIP assessors have warned. The Government is set to overhaul personal independence payments (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 won’t be set out until after the Budget. Shorts Alan Miliburn, 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 have 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 Money and Mental Health Policy Institute. Of this group in work, nearly two-thirds (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. “Remove that support and you risk removing their independence alongside it,” said Merrell, a registered nurse and disability advocate. Merrell is worried that reforms could see PIP money taken away if someone is able to work. “My concern is that ministers could mistake the success of support [disabled people working] for evidence that it should be withdrawn.” ‘Disability does not have an age threshold’ Labour ministers are said to be 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, according to reports – though those with the most severe disabilities are not expected to lose any money. It would be unfair to target young people claiming PIP for any cuts or requirement to look for work, said Merrell. “Disability does not have an age threshold.” Protesters fought against planned PIP cuts in 2025, forcing Labour to revise its approach (Photo: Lab Ky Mo/Getty) Nicola*, a trained mental health nurse who worked on PIP assessments between 2022 and 2023, said any push to get more young PIP claimants into work would be based on a “a big misconception that people on PIP don’t work – some do already”. “I don’t understand why being young matters. I think that should be based on how disabled they are and how much it affects their everyday life – not age,” she added. The former PIP assessors also dismissed ideas by Reform and the Conservatives to stop PIP for “mild” conditions such as anxiety and ADHD. Mental health conditions can be “as debilitating as physical health”, said Nicola. Shabaaz Mohammed, a campaigner with Disabled People Against Cuts (DPAG) Manchester, said it would be “illogical to target young people” for any restrictions on claiming PIP. “It would not get more young people into work because it would make it harder for them to search for work or training,” Mohammed added. PIP must do ‘better job’ of helping people into work PIP claimants have previously told The i Paper they couldn’t get the Motability car leases, therapies and treatments they need to keep working without the benefit – warning that cuts would push them out of jobs. However, Stephen Timms, the disability minister leading a review of PIP, has said his planned reforms could “enable PIP to do a better job to support people into employment”. Changes are expected to be set out later in the autumn. Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms (left) is leading the PIP review, with reforms set to be overseen by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden (Photos: PA) Andy Burnham has said Britain’s youth employment crisis was a “moral failure”, saying it was time to invest in training rather than “pay for failure through the benefits system”. The PIP bill is currently forecast to rise from £32.1bn this year to £44.7bn by 2030-31. Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden has said the Timms’ review could see spending on the benefit reduced. A recent report by the Resolution Foundation think tank warned that PIP was “actually discouraging” people from seeking job training or volunteering. The Resolution Foundation proposed a new “participation” element to PIP that could be made alongside the PIP award. It would task the DWP with helping PIP claimants seek therapies, volunteering opportunities, training or employment support. There would be a “light touch” expectation for claimants to participate, rather than a strict expectation. This participation element could be particularly helpful to young people, said the think tank. But the report also found that more than four-in-ten (42 per cent) of current 16 to 24-year-olds claiming PIP are already either in work (24 per cent) or education (18 per cent). The Resolution Foundation said there would be no justification for creating a separate PIP system for young people since they are “not especially distinct from other age groups”. Disability Rights UK urged Labour to focus on boosting employment support – including more funding for the Access to Work scheme. Disabled people have previously told The i Paper about cuts to their grants for transport, equipment and support workers. The Government has been approached for comment. *Name has been changed to protect anonymity.