In his first major interview since becoming Prime Minister, Andy Burnham outlined his vision for Personal Independence Payments (PIP) during a BBC interview with Laura Kuenssberg. The disability benefit is currently under review ahead of an expected overhaul, which could see PIP cut for some people or withheld from new claimants. Claims have soared this decade, largely driven by younger people with conditions like anxiety and depression. A separate report has suggested that conditions claimed by 360,000 people could be scrapped under new rules.
Plans for PIP Reform
Burnham suggested that benefits could become "conditional" on people taking work opportunities. He said: "It's about changing the nature of the support and making some of the support conditional upon people taking opportunities that are presented." The Prime Minister emphasised that the government had given guarantees of opportunities for young people and wanted to continue that approach. He stressed the need to "get really serious as a country at getting the welfare bill down."
Mental Health Support at Work
Burnham expressed a desire to see more mental health support offered to people in the workplace rather than them taking time off and moving onto PIP or other support. He said: "Where mental health support is needed for instance, it's provided in work to support people in an opportunity." This approach aims to prevent people from entering the benefits system unnecessarily while still addressing their health needs.
Avoiding Crude Cuts
Despite his focus on reducing the welfare bill, Burnham insisted he wanted to avoid "crude" cuts to benefits. He pushed back against the idea of a straightforward reduction in payments, warning that such an approach "often just pushes people into even more crisis and then even more public spending on the part of the system." Instead, he called for a system that "sets people up for success rather than pays for failure."
Supporting Young Claimants
When asked about blaming benefit claimants, Burnham said: "Well I wouldn't necessarily go straight into blaming those people." He argued that many young people in their 20s on benefits had been "quite seriously let down because the support wasn't there for them when it should have been." He pointed to failures in the school system for young people with special educational needs or disabilities, and an education system that has focused too much on university at the expense of technical qualifications and apprenticeships. "So I don't blame them," he concluded. "I don't think the support has been there for them in the way that it should have been."
The interview signals a potential shift in welfare policy under Burnham's premiership, balancing conditionality with increased support for mental health and skills training. The outcome of the PIP review will be closely watched by disability rights groups and claimants alike.
