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yesterday

UK Proposes Stricter PIP Eligibility, Threatening 800,000 Claimants

Critics warn a four-point threshold will strip vital support from hundreds of thousands living with disabilities or mental health challenges.

Disabled people protest against the cuts to disability benefits. Image: Sophia Kleanthous
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Overview

  • The Department for Work and Pensions is consulting until June on proposals to tighten PIP eligibility by mandating a four-point score in a single daily living activity from November 2026.
  • An online petition against the reforms has surpassed 50,000 signatures as opponents mobilise ahead of a parliamentary vote slated for later in June.
  • A Money and Mental Health Policy Institute survey found 97% of participants foresee significant mental health deterioration under the new assessment and 82% say they would cut spending on therapy or personal care if their benefits are withdrawn.
  • Carers UK warns that up to 95,000 disabled carers could lose both PIP and carers’ allowance, exposing thousands of families to a ‘triple hit’ of benefit losses.
  • The PIP overhaul is part of a broader package designed to save £5 billion annually by 2030, which also includes freezes to Universal Credit health payments for new claimants and the planned abolition of the Work Capability Assessment by 2028.