Securing disability benefits is getting harder for new applicants as assessors take a tougher approach, The i Paper can reveal.
The proportion of successful new claims for personal independence payments, known as PIP, has been steadily declining since April 2024, analysis of official Government figures shows.
Experts and insiders told The i Paper the downward trend is due to “harsher” assessments and that decisions were increasingly going against applicants.
The UK’s budget watchdog has revised down forecasted spending on working-age disability benefits by £1bn for 2030-31, although the wider welfare bill will still grow overall.
From mogging to friendslop – words of the year revealed
Collins English Dictionary has unveiled its hotly debated top words of 2026, with Gen Z slang, influenced by social media and the manosphere, coming through into the mainstream.
Uses of mogging increased 210 per cent this year.
Mogging the other words
Anything can be mogged now.
Mary O’Neill, who works at Collins, told the term was “adopted by ‘looksmaxxers’, basically to say they were better and more handsome and more muscular than anyone else”.
It means “the act of outshining or outperforming someone or something” and was partly popularised by manosphere figures like Clavicular.
What else was on the shortlist?
- Aside from word of the year mogging, the other shortlisted words included bixie, carspreading, p(doom) and Manchesterism.
- Manchesterism refers to the political philosophy opined by Andy Burnham.
- And, depressingly, p(doom) is the estimate of how likely it is that AI will bring about the collapse of civilisation.
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Hair gets shorter, cars get bigger
- Bixie refers to the popular haircut between a bob and a pixie.
- Carspreading means “the tendency of manufacturers to build cars that are longer, wider and heavier”.
3 min read
Why job satisfaction across UK is at a record low
Analysis by the Resolution Foundation think-tank found that pay and flexibility have become key issues employees have with their working arrangements.
The key findings
The study found a significant decline in satisfaction at work among the UK population.
Job satisfaction fell from 81 per cent in 2015 to just 74 per cent a decade later, the lowest figure ever recorded in the British Social Attitudes (BSA) survey.
The number of people who reported being interested in their job or having the sense that they had opportunity for progression was also down.
Sir John Curtice, co-editor of the BSA report, suggested it has become more important for employers “to provide jobs that are both financial rewarding and have flexible work hours” in order to produce happier workers.
What does this mean?
Hannah Slaughter, of the Resolution Foundation, said: “This ‘dissatisfaction drain’ is self-evidently bad for workers, but it also doesn’t bode well for productivity and labour supply.”
Tenerife footballer dies aged 30 after on-pitch collision
Jesús de Miguel suffered a serious injury after colliding with the opposition goalkeeper in a match on Monday.
What happened?
The 30-year-old CD Tenerife forward was playing in a second-division match against Andorra, when he was struck in the chest by their goalie, Jesús Owono.
De Miguel suffered a cardiac arrest and was rushed to hospital. He died at 8am on Tuesday, according to his club.
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The sequence of events
- Owono’s knee appeared to collide with De Miguel while challenging in the midfield, according to reports.
- It occurred in the final minutes of the game, which at that point was drawn 2-2.
- The forward reportedly lay motionless on the pitch and distressed players called for medical aid. He was treated for more than five minutes on the pitch before being rushed to hospital by ambulance.
What the club has said
There are no words of comfort – there is absolutely nothing that can lessen this overwhelming sadness. We stand with his grieving family, with his loved ones, with all of Tenerife who mourn this cruel loss today.
CD tenerife, in a statement today
When the BBC licence fee could be axed
Ministers are set to announce proposals to reform the £180-a-year charge in a White Paper setting out the terms of a new BBC charter next month.
A few of the options
New charter by 2028
Insiders believe the licence fee could gradually transition to something new over several years.
Streaming tax
The Government is considering extending the charge to streaming services – which could cost £6.25 a month.
Broadband levy
This would cost £11 per month, £4 a month cheaper than the current licence fee.
What else is on the table?
- BBC director-general Matt Brittin has suggested that the BBC could use a German-style funding model.
All households in Germany pay €18.36 per month (£15.70) to fund all public TV and radio broadcasters across different states.
Brittin predicted the scheme would enable the current fee to be reduced by 20 per cent from its current level.
The Department for Culture, Media and Sport has looked at whether the BBC should be allowed to take advertising around some of its services.
A final option could be to let the licence fee continue its decline and give the BBC the commercial freedom to raise more funds itself.
A BBC spokesman said: “The current funding model is outdated and needs reform. We will continue to engage with government to secure a new charter.”
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Watch more from The i Paper
How rapid delivery services are ‘fuelling’ alcohol harm
A group of MPs, health leaders and charities have argued the availability of strong and cheap alcohol should be tackled via minimum unit pricing (MUP) in England.
What does the letter say?
- In a letter to Health Secretary Yvette Cooper, 55 experts said that the evidence from Scotland and Wales, where MUP has already been introduced, is “clear and compelling”.
- The letter reads: “Very strong, very cheap alcohol is available everywhere in this country, from our supermarkets to our corner shops and increasingly via online rapid delivery services.”
- They argued the current conditions allow for “escalating alcohol harm”.
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The story in numbers
Between 2019 and 2023, deaths in England increased by a “staggering”
42%
and have not returned to pre-pandemic levels since.
The authors said that alcohol harm is estimated to cost
£27.4bn
a year, with £4.9bn of this “shouldered by the NHS”.
Human and economic costs
Labour MP Cat Smith said: “The human and economic costs are now far too high to ignore.”
Professor Sir Ian Gilmore, chair of the Alcohol Health Alliance, warned England “is in danger of becoming the UK’s alcohol harm outlier”.
5 min read
Mahmood announces new immigration rules – what we know
The Home Secretary was forced to back down over proposals to make care workers wait 15 years to qualify for permanent residence.
What you need to know
Shabana Mahmood revised plans to force many low-paid workers, including carers, to wait up to 15 years before being granted indefinite leave to remain (ILR).
On Monday, she scrapped these plans for care workers. But other professions have not seen the same reversal.
3 min read
Why the change of heart?
Mahmood introduced the carve out for care workers after intense backlash from Labour MPs. Housing Secretary Angela Rayner called the retrospective plan “un-British”.
Workers in a set list of public service jobs – such as doctors, nurses and teachers – will also be able to qualify for ILR after five years, even if they do not meet the new salary threshold of £50,271.
Routes to settlement
Under the new system, legal migrants will be able to settle on the following timelines:
- 3 years: additional rate taxpayers earning over £125,141, as well as highly skilled individuals on Global Talent and Innovator Founder visas.
- 5 years: higher rate taxpayers earning over £50,271, as well as skilled public service workers.
- 10 years: the new standard route for everyone else.
- 20 years: anyone who claims certain benefits while in the UK or commits a visa offence.
Watch more from The i Paper
Less money than previously expected will be spent on PIP in particular, the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) revealed in its October forecast.
This is because “a much lower proportion of these [PIP] claims are being awarded after assessment compared to previous years”, the OBR said.
Decline in successful PIP claims
Benefits advisers and experts claim assessors are also facing pressure from managers to review – and potentially reduce – the points awarded to PIP applicants, which determine their eligibility for the benefit. They also say disabled people are often being awarded fewer points if they are able to work.
This month, ministers will set out how the Government intends to overhaul PIP as it faces growing pressure to cut welfare spending. Stephen Timms – the disability minister leading the review – has said the benefit is “not fit for purpose”.
The proportion of successful claims for PIP has fallen, the latest figures from the Department from Work and Pensions (DWP) show.
The proportion of new PIP claims resulting in an award after an assessment has decreased from 48 per cent to 42 per cent when compared to last year.
Analysis by The i Paper shows a steady decline in success rate since April 2024, when 54 per cent of new PIP claims were granted.
“It’s definitely getting more difficult to make a successful claim” said James Merrell, a former PIP assessor who worked for a company contracted to carry out assessments from 2023 to 2024.
“The assessment process seems to set people up to fail,” added Merrell, who now advises PIP claimants going through appeals at tribunal. “The emphasis is on finding why someone doesn’t merit points [for a PIP award].”
Around 4.1 million people currently receive PIP, worth up to around £800 a month to support both their daily living needs and mobility.
Assessors ask a series of questions about how well someone can function with tasks such as washing, dressing and preparing food, aimed at working out how much help they need.
Eight points are needed to qualify for the basic rate of PIP, while 12 points qualifies them for the higher rate.
Managers at firms contracted to carry out assessments are asking assessors to review their points recommendations more often, said Merrell. “The number of times it can be sent back to the assessor is becoming a problem,” he said.
“The pressure is to reduce [points]. You can see the back and forth [between manager and assessor] multiple times in a case. It’s happening more often – you can see it in tribunal cases.”
Assessors have also become less flexible when it comes to judging fluctuating conditions, such as multiple sclerosis (MS) or the chronic pain disorder fibromyalgia, Merrell added.
Dylan Thomas, a pastor who supports PIP claimants at appeal tribunals, said he had noticed an under-the-radar shift toward more difficult assessments. “The system appears to be getting harsher,” he said.
In some cases, having a job, even a part-time role, is resulting in a cut to existing awards for some claimants, he said.
“Assessors seems to be saying, ‘They’re working, therefore they can’t possibly be as ill as they say’,” Thomas said.
Michelle Cardno, founder and advocate at Fightback4Justice, a non-profit organisation providing advice on benefit claims and appeals, said: “We have seen a noticeable deterioration in PIP decision-making this year.
“We are also seeing more disabled people refused PIP where their employment appears to count against them,” said Cardno. “PIP is not an out-of-work benefit, and employment alone should never be grounds for refusal.”
Pressure to cut welfare bill
Although the OBR has downgraded its forecast for spending on disability benefits by £1bn compared to its March forecast, the overall bill is still expected to increase.
Spending on disability benefits – including PIP, disability living allowance and attendance allowance – is set to rise from £50.2bn in 2026-27 to £65.9bn by 2030-31.
Despite the fall in the proportion of successful PIP claims, the overall number seeking the disability benefit is still on the rise. The number of registered PIP claims increased 17 per in the past year, DWP figures show.
Thomas puts this increase down to the damaging health impact of Covid and improved diagnosis of mental health conditions. Some people may also be making claims for the first time because they are aware of the possibility that ministers could restrict eligibility after the Timms Review, he said..
“I think some people who are struggling [with health problems] but have been reluctant to go through an assessment are thinking that if they can’t get it now they never will,” said Thomas.
Timms, the disability minister, has acknowledged that PIP assessments can be “demeaning” and have not “kept pace with changing understanding of health and disability”.
Planned reforms could “enable PIP to do a better job” to support more people into work, he has also said. But is not yet clear how the Government might tie PIP to job searches or training for the first time.
His review is also looking at whether the system can direct people towards help “in addition to or, in some cases, perhaps instead of a cash payment”.
Andy Burnham has said Labour would cut the welfare bill “as soon as we possibly can” but he does not want “crude cuts”. Instead, he plans to reduce spending over time through better employment support.
The Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) previously told The i Paper that a boost to work support will not make any benefit savings for up to 10 years and would be expensive in the short term.
A DWP spokesperson said the interim Timms Review had made clear that PIP “is no longer fit for purpose” and the final report “will lay the foundation for sustainable reform”. They added: “We have also more than doubled face-to-face assessments for PIP and have extended the PIP award review period while removing unnecessary pressure on disabled people.”