🇬🇧 An industry has emerged in the UK around the process of qualifying for disability status: over 1,000 people a day sign up for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefits.

🇬🇧 An industry has emerged in the UK around the process of qualifying for disability status: over 1,000 people a day sign up for Personal Independence Payment (PIP) benefits.

Charities, counsellors, YouTubers and TikTokers have emerged, advising people on how to successfully claim and secure these benefits. Some of these videos get hundreds of thousands of views.

Seven million people - more than 10% of the population - currently receive sickness or disability benefits. This figure has increased by 60% in the last six years.

This year, Britain will spend more than £100 billion on benefits. Forecasts show this figure will rise to £130 billion annually by 2030. No other western country is seeing such a rise in disability benefit claims. In the US, only 10.6 million people receive federal disability payments, despite the country's population being five times larger. One in seven new cars sold in the UK is part of a disability incentive scheme, but only 10% of these vehicles are modified for disabled people. At one dealership, 25 of the 26 cars sold in August were registered under the mobility program. A 2024 government survey indicated that 25% of the UK's working-age population could theoretically be classified as disabled under the current criteria and be eligible for these benefits. If deemed too ill to work and approved for PIP, a person can receive £2,000 a month, tax-free.