PIP

Pathways to Work: the government's response to the consultation

On 30 th October 2025, the Labour government released its response to the consultation on the Pathways to Work Green Paper 2025. The government received nearly 15,000 direct responses (i.e. responses that directly answered the questions posed by the government in the consultation) and over 33,000 indirect responses. The large majority of these indirect responses came from “a single campaigning platform, which put 2 surveys asking its own questions to its members.” Individual

5 days ago6 min read

Why Labour MPs must continue to reject the cuts

I recently published two briefings about social security for sick and disabled people, in an attempt to help MPs see why Labour's planned...

Jun 264 min read

A letter to Stephen Timms... by Stephen Timms

On 1st May 2025, I was part of a small group of women who had a brief meeting with Stephen Timms, to discuss the cuts that Labour plan to...

Jun 1814 min read

Unsupported tropes used to cut disability benefits

One of the government’s most common tropes when it is discussing welfare is a desire to focus support on ‘the most needy’. Superficially...

May 14, 20246 min read

Turning a terrible mess into a toxic one: #Budget2023

The budget today announced a lot of stuff, and most of it I’m not qualified to comment on. I’m interested, because I have a sister with...

Mar 15, 202310 min read

PIP: locking chronically ill people out of disabled benefits

PIP isn’t supposed to be about diagnoses. But even with my diagnoses, I have major difficulties getting benefits assessors from a range...

Dec 11, 20194 min read

Learning to live with chronic illness without independence

Recently I failed a PIP appeal. I get standard rate mobility - which at one point the Tribunal were minded to take away - but was...

Dec 11, 20195 min read

PIP: maintaining poverty, removing choice

The point of extra-costs disability benefits is to meet some of the costs experienced by people with disability, in order to raise them...

Dec 11, 20194 min read

How is PIP expenditure high, when disabled people are struggling?

The Office for Budget Responsibility has recently reported that spending on PIP, the Tory’s new extra-costs disability, was 20% higher...

Jan 17, 20194 min read

PIP appeal – overprepared fraud?

I had a PIP appeal today. I’ve been waiting for it for ten months. I don’t think it went well. There are some points in my favour: the...

Nov 12, 20186 min read

Governments have no right to be ignorant

The government still doesn’t know what its talking about. But this time it’s almost seven years on from when it gained power, and its...

Feb 27, 20174 min read

The government’s rationale for PIP shows it doesn’t understand disability

On Thursday the government released its response to the consultation on Personal Independence Payments (PIP), the successor to Disability...

Dec 12, 20159 min read

The importance of medical evidence for disability assessments

When it’s their word against yours, medical evidence is what proves you’re not the one lying. Medical evidence is what says that you are...

Aug 23, 20134 min read

Conservatives have ignored their history on disability benefit reform

A new disability benefit should reflect the policy intent that the important factor is not the medical condition but the effect that it...

Aug 17, 20134 min read

Mobility scooters aren’t an adequate replacement for legs

A couple of weeks back I wrote about a recent experience using trains as a disabled person. As one reader pointed out, part of my problem...

Jun 15, 20134 min read

The government doesn’t understand disability

On Monday the government started the roll-out of its new disability benefit, Personal Independence Payments. According to the government,...

Jun 6, 20134 min read

Disabled man is not a fraud

Yesterday, the Daily Mail ran the astounding story that a disabled man qualified for the benefits he received. Their surprise was great...

Mar 29, 20133 min read