
DWP next steps for PIP assessments which will affect millions
The benefit supports people who live with a long-term health condition or disability to help cover their extra costs
The review will look to make sure 'PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future in a changing world', it has been said
(Image: In Pictures via Getty Images )
More details have been revealed by Labour on its plans to reform personal independence payments. The benefit, most commonly known as PIP, supports people who live with a long-term health condition or disability to help cover their extra costs. Claimants often have to go through an assessment with a medical professional to determine their level of need and how much they should get.
A review is being carried out by The UK Government of the assessment process to see how it could be improved, The Mirror reports. Labour MP Tom Hayes asked ministers in a written question in Parliament if this review would look at the areas of "equality" and if they will consult "employment law experts".
DWP minister Sir Stephen Timms provided the following response:
He said: "Through the review, we want to make sure the PIP assessment is fair and fit for the future in a changing world and helps support disabled people to achieve better health, higher living standards and greater independence.
"The review will be co-produced with disabled people, the organisations that represent them, clinicians, experts, Members of Parliament and other stakeholders, to ensure that a range of views and voices are heard.
"I have now spoken to a range of stakeholders to gather views on how best to approach the review.
Article continues below
"Proposed terms of reference have been published.
"I will engage widely over the summer to design the process for the work of the review, including to ensure that expertise from a range of different perspectives is drawn upon."
How much is PIP?
PIP includes daily living element and a mobility element, with a lower and higher rate for each part. You can get one of the parts while not getting any payment for the other.
The lower rate for the daily living part is £73.90 a week while the higher rate is £110.40 a week.
The mobility part is £29.20 a week at the lower rate and £77.05 a week at the higher rate.
This means a person on the higher rate for both parts would get £187.45 a week, or £9,747.40 a year.
Article continues below
The Government had set out plans to tighten the eligibility criteria for PIP, with the criteria to come in from next year.
But after huge opposition from Labour MPs and others, the Government said it will not bring in any changes to PIP until the review of PIP has been concluded.

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Metro
an hour ago
- Metro
Readers discuss Corbyn's 'own goal', Doctor Who and gorilla costumes
Do you agree with our readers? Have your say on these MetroTalk topics and more in the comments. The most significant thing that Jeremy Corbyn's new political party (Metro, Fri) is likely to achieve is dividing Labour's extreme left vote between two camps, which will reduce Labour's overall support, and therefore help more right-wing political parties such as the Conservatives and Reform gain traction before the next General Election. This should please rather than threaten 'the rich and powerful' he has vowed to 'take on'. As a football fan, Corbyn ought to know what is meant by scoring an own goal, but perhaps he doesn't. Robert Hughes, London I don't understand the furore about 16-year-olds being allowed to vote (MetroTalk, Tue). Regardless of whichever particular party is in power, MetroTalk will be full of letters asking why people voted for them. There will always be people unhappy with the government. Instead of the Opposition childishly trying to score points against whoever is in power, the only sensible solution would be for the government to be a Coalition, made up of members from every political party, working together for the good of the people instead of for themselves. Owen, London Wake up to find news on your TV shows in your inbox every morning with Metro's TV Newsletter. Sign up to our newsletter and then select your show in the link we'll send you so we can get TV news tailored to you. If 16-year-olds get the vote they will probably be drawn to the Lib Dems, purely because Ed Davey's stunts are social media-friendly. Why bother with politics when you could be rolling downhill, strapped to a giant Wensleydale? Tess Kamara, via email Perhaps if 16- and 17-year-olds had been allowed to vote in the referendum, we wouldn't have been subjected to the debacle that is Brexit. Roger Smith, Witham Policemen are noticeable by their absence in most towns and cities and rarely bother turning up when a crime is reported – yet a reported 5,000 officers are suddenly available to protect a convicted felon from America on his visit to Turnberry in Scotland? Martin J Phillips, Leeds I agree with Kim from Hornchurch (MetroTalk, Wed) about the grossly misjudged decision by the school that didn't allow a student to wear a Union Jack dress. However, that's not at all the same as an adult approaching a school wearing a gorilla costume. For those who think it's OK for a father to go to his child's school in a gorilla costume, I suppose it would also be OK if a parent approached a school wearing a motorcycle helmet or maybe with a clown's face painted on? It's interesting how when someone is admonished for doing something stupid and inconsiderate, they jump on to the bandwagon of calling those who disagree with their actions 'woke'. Kehinde, London The recent incident involving Chris Napthine collecting his daughter from school in a gorilla costume reminds me of the Not The Nine O'Clock News sketch where Professor Timothy Fielding is describing his early experience with Gerald the Gorilla. Fielding says, 'When I first encountered Gerald, he was completely wild.' Gerald then replies, 'Wild? I was absolutely livid! Stephen Dugdale, Sheffield In Wednesday's Metro, on page seven, there were two tragic stories of women being stabbed to death by their ex partners. One perpetrator was jailed for a minimum of 28 years and the other 15 years. Where is the consistency? Malcolm Hair, Surrey John Coyne (MetroTalk, Wed), voiced concern about Doctor Who stories not being as good as they once were. I agree. Some of the recent series have been quite weak and I have sat watching, almost willing a decent storyline to appear. More Trending Sadly, the least effective Doctor in recent times was Jodie Whittaker. I had no issue with the character being female, but Jodie was completely unsuited to the role. There are many fine female actors who could have done a far superior job. I understand that ratings have been falling and I am not surprised. If the writers don't write decent episodes and soon, then it will not be long before the series is taken off air and it may not return for some 20 years, as was the case, a few years back. Ed Lewis, Mansfield MORE: British & Irish Lions won't settle for a Test series win over Australia with an historic clean sweep on the cards MORE: Huge plumes of smoke seen for miles as 20 tonnes of tyres go up in factory inferno MORE: Thief hides 76 bottles of stolen wine in wheelie bin and flees in tuk-tuk


Metro
2 hours ago
- Metro
What's stopping Keir Starmer from recognising Palestine as a state?
Sir Keir Starmer is coming under a lot of pressure to recognise Palestinian statehood. He's under pressure from 221 MPs – more than a third of all the people who sit in the House of Commons – who collectively signed a letter urging recognition. He's under pressure from Jeremy Corbyn's newly announced left-wing party, which placed alleged UK complicity in the Gaza horror at the centre of its launch, and the significant number of supporters it has attracted. And he's under pressure from top Labour figures, ranging from London Mayor Sadiq Khan to members of his own cabinet, who are pushing him on the matter both publicly and privately. Those calls have grown in the past few days, as images of starving children have been beamed around the world and French President Emmanuel Macron has announced France will formally recognise Palestine as a state. But the Prime Minister has remained firm, insisting he will only press forward at the moment when the move would have the maximum impact. Craig Munro breaks down Westminster chaos into easy to follow insight, walking you through what the latest policies mean to you. Sent every Wednesday. Sign up here. In a statement released on Thursday night, Starmer said: 'We are clear that statehood is the inalienable right of the Palestinian people. 'A ceasefire will put us on a path to the recognition of a Palestinian state and a two-state solution which guarantees peace and security for Palestinians and Israelis.' The UK is deeply entwined in the history of the region currently occupied by Israel and Palestine. In 1916, the British claimed control of the region called Palestine amid the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, and the following year, Foreign Secretary Arthur Balfour said the UK would back a 'national home' for the Jewish people in the area. A little over three decades later, in 1948, David Ben-Gurion declared the independence of Israel. The UN admitted Israel as a member in 1949, but not Palestine. It was not until 1988 that Palestinian statehood was recognised by any UN member states, after the Palestinian National Council formally declared independence. Today, 147 of the UN's 193 member states recognise Palestine, including the vast majority of the countries in Asia, Africa and South America. The UK, US, Canada, Germany, Japan, Australia and New Zealand are among the nations that do not. In 2014, MPs in the House of Commons voted to 274 to 12 in favour of recognising Palestine as a state. But David Cameron's government responded with a line that remains familiar today – that recognition would wait until it was deemed most appropriate for the peace process. On the face of it, the British government appears to be closer than ever to announcing formal recognition of a Palestinian state. Among the high-profile cabinet members reportedly arguing in favour are Deputy PM Angela Rayner, Home Secretary Yvette Cooper, Health Secretary Wes Streeting and Justice Secretary Shabana Mahmood. The UK has also been closely aligning with France on the issue, as part of the E3 group of nations alongside Germany. However, both Starmer and Foreign Secretary David Lammy have insisted publicly that the move is only worth making when it would be most effective in the pursuit of peace. On Tuesday, Lammy told the BBC: 'We don't just want to recognise symbolically, we want to recognise as a way of getting to the two states that sadly many are trying to thwart at this point in time.' Labour's election manifesto last year said the party is 'committed to recognising a Palestinian state as a contribution to a renewed peace process which results in a two-state solution with a safe and secure Israel alongside a viable and sovereign Palestinian state.' More Trending The letter signed by 221 MPs, organised by Labour's Sarah Champion, said the announcement of recognition should come at a UN conference co-chaired by France and Saudi Arabia on Monday and Tuesday. It said: 'British recognition of Palestine would be particularly powerful given its role as the author of the Balfour Declaration and the former Mandatory Power in Palestine. Since 1980 we have backed a two-state solution. 'Such a recognition would give that position substance as well as living up to a historic responsibility we have to the people under that Mandate.' Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@ For more stories like this, check our news page. MORE: Will there be a bank holiday and trophy parade if England win Women's Euro 2025? MORE: Empty shops to be turned into clubs and bars under new government plans MORE: Trump warns 'there'll be no Europe left' before immediately hitting golf course


BBC News
4 hours ago
- BBC News
Former North Tyneside Mayor Dame Norma Redfearn granted Freedom of Borough
The former three-time mayor of North Tyneside has been granted the council's highest Norma Redfearn was nominated for the Freedom of the Borough in recognition of her "extraordinary leadership" and the "transformative change" brought to the area during her Karen Clark put forward the Labour veteran's nomination, which was unanimously agreed said: "Through her passion, dedication, and tireless efforts, Dame Norma Redfearn has left an indelible mark on North Tyneside." She said the former mayor "really did make North Tyneside a great place to live, work, and visit."The position of mayor is an elected role and is effectively the leader of the Norma announced her decision last year not to seek re-election, marking the beginning of the end of her 12 years in narrowly retained the mayoralty for Labour in May after beating Reform UK by a thin margin. Dame Norma's administration saw the regeneration of large parts of Whitley Bay including the re-opening of the long-disused Spanish City Dome. She also played a key role in regional devolution, which saw the creation of the North East Combined Authority and the North East elected to North Tyneside Council as a councillor for the Riverside ward in 2004, Dame Norma joined the cabinet and was responsible for the children and young people portfolio in was first elected as mayor in 2013, defeating the then Conservative incumbent Linda to her 20-year career in local politics, she spent 30 years as an educator, culminating as the head teacher of West Walker Primary the Conservative opposition supported the nomination, Tory councillor John Johnson lamented that the same honour was not bestowed to her late following clarification from the council's legal officer, it was determined the Freedom of the Borough could not be handed over posthumously, according to the Local Democracy Reporting Service. Follow BBC North East on X, Facebook, Nextdoor and Instagram.