By GB News (Politics) | Created at 2026-09-20 03:16:47 | Updated at 2026-09-20 07:27:25
4 hours ago
Britain's ballooning Personal Independence Payment (PIP) bill is forecast to nearly double by the end of the decade as welfare spending continues to soar.
PIP spending is projected to climb from around £26billion in 2024 to around £45billion in 2030, according to detailed forecasts published by the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR).
That amounts to an increase of around £19billion in just six years.
PIP is designed to help people with the additional costs associated with a long-term health condition or disability and is not means-tested.
The surge comes as Britain's overall welfare bill continues to climb, with the OBR forecasting total benefit spending will exceed £400billion by the end of the decade.
Health and disability-related benefits are among the major drivers of the increase.
The OBR has forecast spending across health and disability benefits will rise from £76.8billion in 2024/25 to £109billion by 2030/31.
Meanwhile, the number of people entitled to PIP has continued to climb.
PIP is designed to help people with the additional costs associated with a long-term health condition or disability
GETTY
Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) figures showed four million people in England and Wales were entitled to the benefit by April this year, with around 3.3 million of those being of working age.
The soaring costs have piled further pressure on Andy Burnham as his Government attempts to bring Britain's welfare bill under control.
The Prime Minister has insisted he wants to reduce welfare spending but recently rejected demands to fund higher defence expenditure through cuts to benefits.
He said national security “cannot come at the expense of social security”.
The Government is now examining changes to PIP as part of a review led by disability minister Sir Stephen Timms.
Andy Burnham insisted that national security 'cannot come at the expense of social security'
The interim review concluded that the current PIP system was “no longer fit for purpose”, with final recommendations expected this autumn.
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately accused Labour of failing to tackle the rising bill.
She told The Times: “Britain is hurtling towards a £400 billion welfare bill with Labour asleep at the wheel. The Government has no plans to reverse the rise in welfare and worklessness.
“Too many people are being parked on sickness benefits, leaving taxpayers to pick up the ever-growing tab.
"Labour’s Work and Pensions Secretary said himself that all Labour MPs want to do is tax people more to pay for more benefits.
'Britain is hurtling towards a £400 billion welfare bill with Labour asleep at the wheel,' Helen Whately declared
“The Conservatives are doing a root and branch review of our sickness benefits system. We will stop claims for low-level mental health, bring back face-to-face assessments, and get Britain working again.”
A DWP spokesman said: “The Timms review interim report made clear that Pip is no longer fit for purpose. The recommendations from the final report, due in autumn, will pave the way for sustainable reform.
“This comes on top of action we are already taking action to fix the broken welfare system, including by increasing face-to-face assessments and extending award review periods to deliver savings of around £2 billion while removing unnecessary pressure on disabled people.”
The final Timms review is expected to set out proposals for longer-term reform of the disability benefit system later this year.
Any major changes requiring legislation would then have to pass through Parliament.
