On 16 August, Reform UK announced its intention to abolish Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) Personal Independence Payments (PIP). As we noted, this was an ill-thought out move for Reform, because many of its own voters are reliant on DWP PIP. As one Labour has explained, however, there is a reason why Reform thinks it can get away with this:

I canvassed a disabled voter in Crook recently who told me she was voting Reform because the first time she applied for PIP it was rejected. “I had to fight damn hard for my PIP” she told me, “but foreigners get it for nothing”.

I hope people like her become better informed. https://t.co/l5emWDM0QD

— Sam Rushworth MP (@SamJRushworth) August 16, 2026

Constant attacks

Firstly, we should note that Rushworth’s tone is a bit off when he says this:

I hope people like her become better informed.

Given that Labour has repeatedly lied about and attacked PIP claimants, what would ‘better informed’ look like? Obviously Reform’s plan to abolish PIP is worse than anything Labour has discussed, but a “better informed” DWP PIP claimant almost certainly wouldn’t vote Labour.

On Reform’s DWP PIP plan, we reported the following:

Reform’s plan would see PIP being replaced with a new system called a ‘Health Security Allowance’. While Reform is promising to maintain some form of a safety net, it’s clear many claimants will lose out, because Reform says the move will save £50bn a year.

It’s fascinating how keen Reform UK are to attack the disabled when working age people claiming PIP are more likely to vote for them than any other political party. https://t.co/cKdUgcQxy2

— thelefttake (@thelefttake) August 15, 2026

As Reform UK Exposed have shown, all of the current Reform MPs have significant numbers of DWP PIP claimants in their constituencies:

Reform UK PIP changes: Reform UK MPs vs Old Tory MPs

Farage, Pochin, Anderson, Tice,
vs
Jenrick, Braverman, Rosindell, Kruger

Having reviewed PIP data and mapped it against Reform UK constituencies, and weighted for working age claimants, it’s clear that there is a divide… pic.twitter.com/fMhqMmdlxF

— Reform UK Exposed (@reformexposed) August 17, 2026

Consider that every single DWP PIP claimant has friends and family members who will no doubt hear about their loved one’s concerns. Selfishness will also become a factor, because if a person’s relatives can’t afford to get by, that will have a knock-on effect on them.

DWP PIP is a benefit claimed by many workers, facilitating a situation in which sick and disabled people can afford to live while contributing towards the economy. Removing PIP will no doubt force many into becoming long-term sick because they can’t work full time. This means we’ll reduce our workforce and take money out of the productive economy.

And for what?

Con job from Reform on DWP PIP

Reform have managed to trick DWP PIP claimants into thinking they’re on their side by vaguely gesturing at migrants. It will be much more difficult to get away with this now that they’ve admitted PIP is on the chopping block, however.

This policy will make things difficult for Reform MPs in the next election; it will also make it hard for all the new candidates who hope to become MPs – especially as the working-age PIP rate can be as high as 21% in some areas.

Clacton is one of the poorest areas in the UK.

Almost one in five working-age people there are claiming Personal Independence Payment, which Nigel Farage wants to abolish.

— Mukhtar (@I_amMukhtar) August 16, 2026

Reform politicians are already getting a taste of how unpopular this policy is going to be:

You can see the exact moment that Reform politician Laila Cunningham realises that she’s going to spend the next few years defending a policy that will hurt vulnerable people https://t.co/okm21FuK1L

— Larry the Cat (@Number10cat) August 17, 2026

Reform is now attempting to put the focus back on to migrants, but the cat is out of the bag:

It’s almost kinda like they’ve realised that announcing benefit cuts to their own supporters has probably gone down badly so they now need to clarify that they still hate foreigners https://t.co/dcV82yAGeo

— David (@Zero_4) August 16, 2026

This part of the policy is also wrong-headed, as commenter Sam Kelly noted:

Rather than repeat myself again, I am going to write a single post as to why Reform’s policy announcement today is utterly absurb and will cost Britain £3 billion a year.

Foreign nationals pay in approximately £24 billion in National Insurance each year, and cost the UK around £21 billion in related benefits.

If you want to stop them accessing the benefits National Insurance pays for, as proposed by Reform today, it would be an Article 14 Human Rights contravention to make them pay National Insurance, so they would need to be exempted.

So the UK would make a £3 billion net loss if it were to ever introduce Reform’s ridiculous new policy.

I’ll add to this post, that it’s currently estimated that the real number is closer to £12 billion a year paid in benefits to Foreign Nationals, so Reform have done some financial gymnastics to project that forward at £21 billion in 5 years. Which means this policy has the potential to lose us far more than £3 billion a year.

Pull the wool

Reform UK clearly feel a need to continuously up the ante to attract attention. The problem is we’re three years away from the next general election; that means sooner or later, they’re going to go further than voters will tolerate.

This DWP PIP policy is very possibly going to be such a moment.

Featured image via Toby Melville

By Willem Moore

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