2 July 2025, 10:29

By Kim Samuel

Personal Independence Payments (PIP) are a vital benefit that doesn’t just help disabled people manage the extra costs of daily life – it helps them stay connected to society.

But, even after last night’s victory in Parliament, the fight to secure their future isn’t over.

“We will take this through in a different way,” the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster told Radio 4 this morning, “…at a slower pace, because of the discussions in Parliament in recent days.”

I'm glad the Government was forced to listen and proceed with greater caution. Last night’s vote was a robust display of democracy in action.

But we should not have to go through this debate all over again in 14 months when the Timms Review publishes its findings. Enough stress, uncertainty, and anguish has already been caused to disabled people and their carers.

For some, this debate continues to be all about the numbers: balancing the books, suspected fraud, fiscal responsibility. These are important issues that deserve scrutiny.

But as many brave Labour rebels rightly argued last night, this is not primarily an economic issue. It’s a human one.

It’s a question of dignity. Of independence. Of belonging. And in some cases, of life and death.

PIP was introduced to give people with disabilities the freedom to move, work,........

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