Disability benefits are “no longer fit for purpose”, a new review warns. The interim Timms report, which was commissioned after Sir Keir Starmer was forced to U-turn on welfare reforms after a Labour rebellion, found that the personal independence payment (Pip) is failing to keep pace with how disability, health and work have changed over the past decade.

Pip is the main disability benefit and is intended to help with everyday tasks and extra living costs. But the number of people claiming it has soared to four million in England and Wales - roughly doubling since 2019. Claimants of Pip often find the system to apply for the benefit “dehumanising”, “soul destroying”, and “degrading”, according to the review. Incoming Prime Minister Andy Burnham will face the huge challenge of reforming the benefits system without being accused of attacking disabled people.

The final report, which will include recommendations for change, is due in autumn and the Government has insisted it will ensure Pip is “fit and fair for the future”.

Disability minister Sir Stephen Timms, who led the review, said: “This interim report delivers a clear message: while Pip is widely valued as a benefit, it is not working as intended and needs fundamental change.”

But the Tories warned that Labour is "in denial about the welfare state".

Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately said: "They have at last admitted it is broken - but what they mean is it's too hard to get benefits and not generous enough. They couldn't be more wrong.

“The Timms Review rules out making any savings; worse, it makes the doubling of the PIP bill by the end of the decade inevitable. And it does nothing to tackle abuse of the system.

“Once again, Labour has wasted time on another review which offers no solutions. Conservatives will build a new sickness benefits system, stop giving out taxpayers' money for low mood, mild anxiety and ADHD and bring back face-to-face assessments.”

The review team said their recommendations will be “bold in nature and bold in recognition of the wider environment in which disabled people in the UK are living”.

They said: “Our message is simple: Pip is not working.

“It is not working for the people that go through the process, nor for a Government committed to supporting disabled people.

“We are committed to making changes so that Pip can fulfil its purpose for disabled people and those with long-term conditions, both now and into the future.

“Doing so will require us to be radical in our thinking and bold in our recommendations for reform.”

The team said feedback from almost 40,000 people and organisations had found more than 90% described negative experiences of the process of claiming the benefit.

The review stated: “Our evidence so far tells us that while Pip is widely valued as a benefit, it is no longer fit for purpose.”