More than four million people in the United Kingdom are now claiming Personal Independence Payment (PIP), a threshold the Daily Mail's editorial board called a "shameful milestone" for the government. The newspaper noted the figure emerged only days after an official report recommended simplifying the PIP application process, which it described as a particular irony.
Around 1,000 new PIP claims are being approved every day, according to the newspaper, with much of the recent rise in cases linked to a post-Covid surge in anxiety, depression and other mental health conditions. The annual cost of the benefit is on track to reach £41 billion by 2030, the Daily Mail said.
What is PIP
Personal Independence Payment is a UK government benefit paid to people with a long-term illness, disability or mental health condition to help with extra living costs. It is not means-tested and can be claimed whether or not the recipient is in work.
The editorial argued it was concerning that the prime minister appeared to have no strategy, and no apparent appetite, for addressing the rising number of claims.
The Daily Mail said ordinary taxpayers, who it described as already struggling, should not be expected to keep funding what it called Greater Manchester Mayor Andy Burnham's "unswerving commitment to 'social security'."
Economic pressures on households
The newspaper cited new estimates showing food inflation is set to continue for at least two years and that energy costs could rise by as much as 25 per cent. It said mortgage rates are feared to rise further after five lenders announced interest rate increases, while private sector pay growth is barely keeping pace with rising prices.
The editorial linked this backdrop to growing concern over how pensioners will be treated in next month's Budget, which it attributed to what it called Labour's "unscrupulous approach" to funding its welfare spending.
Asylum housing dispute in Piddington
The Daily Mail also criticised Labour's handling of the asylum system, pointing to hundreds of migrants arriving in small boats on a regular basis. It highlighted a dispute in the village of Piddington, where residents held a local referendum to protest against plans to house 1,250 male asylum seekers in their community.
Authorities have proposed distributing high-visibility vests to the men to help prevent road accidents, a measure the newspaper described as evidence of the situation's "ludicrous nature." The editorial warned that if the prime minister goes ahead with plans to place more migrants in middle-class areas, similar scenes could play out across the country.
Business Secretary Jonathan Reynolds defended the decision to house asylum seekers in Piddington, saying there was "no imaginary place these people can go."
Rwanda scheme comparison
The Daily Mail contrasted the current approach with the previous Conservative government's Rwanda deportation scheme, which it said Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer scrapped at the first available opportunity after taking office. The newspaper said the asylum situation was not going to disappear and called for an acknowledgement that Labour's approach had been wrong, while adding it did not expect this to happen.
