Government launches PIP review

The review will be led by Sir Stephen Timms MP together with a steering group of disabled people and experts who will help set strategic direction and share decision-making. The review aims to make sure that PIP fairly reflects the reality of the impact of people’s conditions in the modern world.

What is the review?

A review of the PIP assessment was first announced in the government’s Green Paper earlier this year. But alongside plans for a review, the government also published proposals to cut disability benefit cuts, including PIP. Thanks to campaigning by tens of thousands of disabled people, we protected PIP from cuts. Instead, the government stopped their plans to cut PIP and promised to deliver a review of PIP before making any changes.

Now, the government has published more information about the review. They’ve shared the Terms of Reference which set out how the review will work. They are now recruiting for a steering group of disabled people and experts with experience of accessing PIP. The review is called the Timms Review, as it’s being led by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms MP.

The review aims to look at what improvements can be made to the PIP assessment to ensure it’s “fair and fit for the future.” This will likely include looking at the assessment criteria, as well as the application form and how decisions are made. The review will run until autumn 2026 and will make recommendations for changes at the end of the review.

Opportunity to join the Timms Review steering group

The government is setting up a small steering group to co-lead the review. It will be made up of disabled people, disability experts and the minister.

This steering group will decide together with the government the review’s focus and approach to carrying out the work. This will include deciding how it engages with disabled people. It will also co-create recommendations for what should change in the assessment. 

These recommendations will be presented to the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions in autumn 2026. The Secretary of State and government will then decide what changes to PIP should be made, including any policies or law changes.

You can find out more about the steering group and how to apply, on the government’s website. The deadline to apply is Sunday 30 November 2025.

We welcome the Timms Review

We are pleased the Government is reviewing PIP and looking at how to improve it.

Charles Gillies, our Senior Policy Officer and Policy Co-Chair of the Disability Benefits Consortium said:

For over a decade now, PIP has been failing disabled people by denying them the support they need to live independently. This review is a vital opportunity to address issues that have been overlooked for years, and we look forward to engaging with it.

Disabled people have sent the government a clear message this year that cuts to PIP will worsen financial hardship and ill-health, and will not be tolerated. So it’s vital that this process must not become about cost saving. Instead, it must stay committed to real and meaningful engagement with disabled people. And ultimately, to creating a system where people can get the right level of support while being treated with dignity and respect.

MS and the Timms Review

Many people with MS rely on PIP to support them with the extra costs of being disabled. Yet many still miss out on the right level of support because of issues with the assessment. In particular, the current assessment process does not work well for people living with long-term health conditions. Especially conditions like MS, which are fluctuating, have invisible symptoms and get worse over time.

We are calling for the Timms Review to take an in-depth look at the unique experience of people with fluctuating and unpredictable conditions. The assessment must take into account how different life can be from one day to the next for many people with MS.

Other ways to get involved

Once it’s set up, the steering group will look at ways to hear from disabled people over the coming months.

And we will be continuing to campaign and meet with the government to advocate for the changes to PIP that people with MS have been asking for, for more than a decade.

If you’re not already signed up, you can join our Campaigns Community to get the latest updates on our campaigning on PIP straight into your inbox.

We’re here for you 

For someone to talk to right now, or any advice on benefits, our MS Helpline is here for you. You can call us on 0808 800 8000 or send us an email at [email protected]