Senior Labour minister delivers bare-faced lie over DWP PIP live on the BBC

The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) is rolling out controversial reforms to the Personal Independence Payment (PIP) that could dramatically affect the lives of hundreds of thousands of disabled individuals and their families. Yet a senior Labour Party government minister denied the reality of this live on the BBC – claiming that actually, the number of disabled people the DWP would cut PIP from was tiny.

Labour: lying to cover their cruel reforms

Chris Bryant is a government minister. He was on BBC Question Time on Thursday 3 April. During the show, he said:

Nobody is taking money away from people on PIP… There will be more people on PIP in the next few years, but the number isn’t going to be increasing by a thousand every week… [People on PIP are] not going to lose it till their next reassessment.. 90% of people will not lose anything.

Chris Bryant, "The single biggest challenge is the state of the NHS" #BBCQT

"That needed reform and money"

"Everyone applauds the £22 billion extra but not where the money comes from, we had to do an increase in national insurance"

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His claim that 90% of people will not lose anything is a bare-faced lie.

According to a DWP impact assessment, as many as 370,000 current claimants could lose their PIP entitlement due to changes in eligibility rules set to be implemented in November 2026, pending parliamentary approval.

Crucially, about 430,000 future applicants are anticipated to be denied the benefit, creating an average annual loss of around £4,500 for those affected. Therefore, Bryant’s 90% figure is not accurate – because people, including children transitioning from Disability Living Allowance to PIP – will lose out. The figure is nearer 20% based on the DWP’s own data – plus 150,000 carers who will also lose their Carer’s Allowance.

What the department has also failed to even calculate is how many people will lose higher rate Daily Living because of its cuts.

DWP PIP has been a critical source of support, helping chronically ill and disabled people manage the additional day-to-day costs they face.

Yet, with these new rules focused on tightening the eligibility criteria for the daily living component, it’s unclear how many will continue to receive the assistance they need.

As it stands, DWP PIP is calculated through a points system based on the individual’s ability to perform essential tasks related to daily living. However, under the proposed reforms, individuals will now be required to achieve a minimum score of four points in one specified task to even qualify for any level of support.

DWP PIP: a life line for chronically ill and disabled people

The methodologies used by the DWP for evaluating disability have long been the subject of scrutiny. DWP boss Liz Kendall recently faced questions regarding the fairness and accuracy of these assessments when she stated:

We will legislate for a change in PIP so that people will need to score a minimum of four points in at least one activity.

Critics warn that this change would unjustly penalise individuals who require help across multiple areas but may not achieve the required thresholds in specific questions.

To put this into perspective, the daily living component, which ranges from £290.60 to £434.20 every four weeks, is geared to assist with crucial areas like food preparation, personal hygiene, and medication management. For people already struggling with conditions that limit their ability to perform these activities, the potential loss of financial support is nothing short of devastating.

Moreover, the DWP’s focus on increasing in-person PIP assessments contrasts sharply with the ongoing reliance on remote assessments that many say minimise the personal consideration necessary for understanding the unique challenges faced by each claimant.

Blatant misinformation

Bryant’s blatant misinformation regarding DWP PIP seems part of a clear agenda from the Labour government. That is, it will steamroll these reforms through at the expense of the reality of the impact they will have.

Moreover, all this will come at the expense of chronically ill and disabled people’s wellbeing and right to live an independent life – things that have already been severely impacted by previous governments.

Featured image via the Canary