A cross-party consensus on reducing the number of  benefits awards for anxiety and depression appears to be building. Shadow chancellor Mel Stride became the latest politician to speak out about the number of awards for “less severe mental health problems”, in his speech to the Conservative party conference today.

Below we have set out where the Conservatives, Labour and Reform stand on the issue. 

The LibDems have not made their position clear, although in a recent interview Ed Davey did claim there was “quite a lot of fraud” amongst recent PIP claims.

Conservatives

Stride told the conference:

“So we will ensure that benefits are properly targeted at those most in need, with people thriving in jobs where they can and should be working.

“That includes stopping claims for people with less severe mental health problems where what is needed is treatment and support, not simply cash.

“Because we know that the stability, pride and social interaction of work actually improves these conditions.”

Back in 2024, Stride told the Telegraph:

“There is a real risk now that we are labelling the normal ups and downs of human life as medical conditions which then actually serve to hold people back and, ultimately, drive up the benefit bill.

“If they go to the doctor and say ‘I’m feeling rather down and bluesy’, the doctor will give them on average about seven minutes and then, on 94% of occasions, they will be signed off as not fit to carry out any work whatsoever.”

Conservatives Update

Shadow work and pensions minister Helen Whately has now also spoken at the conference:

“But millions of people right now, are sitting on the sofa at home.

“Millions have got themselves a sick note from the GP and signed onto sickness benefits with just a form and a phone call.

“Millions are getting benefits for anxiety and ADHD, along with a free Motability car.

“TikTok videos tell you how - and some people even pay for VIP services to boost their chances of a successful benefits claim.

“Yes, there are people with serious illnesses and disabilities,

“But one in four people now describe themselves as disabled, so what does the term even mean . . . Fix the 'sick note' system, bring back face-to-face assessments, end sickness benefits for low level mental health problems, stop the abuse of Motability, and put British citizens first in our benefits system – just living here is not a reason to get money from taxpayers.”

Labour

Last week we highlighted that Labour is launching a review to decide whether some mental health and neurodivergence issues are being overdiagnosed.  The aim is clearly to provide a scientific justification for reducing the number of awards on these grounds.

Back in March, health minister Wes Streeting, the man behind this review, told the BBC that there was an “overdiagnosis” of mental health conditions and that “there’s too many people being written off”. 

And last week, prime minister Keir Starmer told Radio 4 that:

“I think we need to look again at this issue of mental health and ask ourselves a fundamental question, which is: would we not be better putting our money in the resources and support that is needed for mental health than simply saying, it’s to be provided in benefits?”

So, there seems little doubt that Labour have mental health conditions, especially as they relate to awards for young people, in their sights.

Reform

Meanwhile, Reform’s welfare spokesperson Lee Anderson assured us earlier this month:

“It’s become fashionable now to have mental health problems, to have your own counsellor, to go for therapy, to have anxiety attacks, to get down to the local benefit centre and sign on for PIP or ESA.”

And the latest defector from the Conservatives to Reform, former shadow DWP minister Danny Kruger has also highlighted the number of claims for less severe mental health conditions:

“ . . . the incidence of disability in our society is rising by 17% while benefit claims are rising by 34%. For some of the less severe mental health claims, it is far worse. In January 2020, there were 7,000 claims for people with anxiety disorders; this year, there are 31,000. In January 2020, there were 155,000 claims for anxiety and depressive disorders mixed; now there are 365,000.”

What next?

At the moment only Labour have the power to make changes to the benefits system.  Their recent attempt to reform PIP ended in failure after a backbench revolt supported by almost all the opposition parties.

However, if Labour does bring forward legislation to, make it harder to claim benefits on the basis of mental health conditions, then it looks likely that even a major backbench revolt would not necessarily prevent legislation being passed – provide Starmer was prepared to rely on Conservative and Reform support to get a bill through parliament.

But another major revolt, even if unsuccessful, might be fatal for Starmer’s leadership and so something he may not wish to risk.

Rather than waiting for Labour’s report on overdiagnosis and its inevitable conclusion, mental health and neurodivergence charities need to begin the work of putting the facts before MPs and the public now, before it’s too late.

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  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 3 hours ago
    Been following the Tory updates all day on welfare 
    I am shocked and appalled by their lies, demonisation and lack of humanity for disabled people including mental health. Severity shouldn’t matter. It’s pushing an us vs them narrative and who is more worthy, counting those “less severe” as not worth helping. The false claims of overdiagnosis will do so much harm for future and existing claimants
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 4 hours ago
    It's always  the same pick on the sick disabled rhetoric wheeled out when the talk of saving tax payers  money, whilst they IMO are wasting  many times the cost of paying the sick disabled on other things such as net zero, and  wars, and of  cause the lasted waste of £££ digital ID
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 6 hours ago
    I'm scared. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 6 hours ago
    It depends on the severity of the symptoms of anxiety and how many years and life events people have had some people have worked for many years with it until they couldn’t because they couldn’t think or function and no employer can rely on them. Any number of pull yourself together will not work just drive the person towards harming themselves . They can keep their money if it comes down to it because I can’t take any more of their sanctimonious attitude. I hope they all get it and see what it’s like. I bet you most people with anxiety and depression have more conditions than just that. With the way the whole lot of them have run and are running the country there’s not much to laugh at unless you are rich. What an absolute bunch of hypocrites.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 7 hours ago
    I wonder how they will then deal with the inevitable rise in suicide. 

    We're all so utterly scared done for. Not even a suggestion of fixing the reasons why young people are suffering, just punish them more
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 7 hours ago
    What will happen to those claimants who have anxiety, or depression, or both, but who also have other health conditions as well, such as heart disease, or kidney failure, or visual impairment? Will they also be denied vital benefits on the spurious grounds that they also have a "milder" mental health condition, their physical impairment or health condition notwithstanding?

    And what will happen to those claimants who are not eligible for treatment on the NHS via NHS Talking Therapies? NHS Talking Therapies do not accept referrals from any patient with a history of suicidal ideation, suicide attempts or self-harm - which I imagine would include a huge number of claimants with anxiety & depression.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 8 hours ago
    I always knew I was never going to make it to retirement age. I'm 54, I can't do this anymore. They are piling on those who don't have the resilience to cope with these constant attacks and threats. It's making me so ill, so much worse than I was.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 9 hours ago
    Although It's very reassuring to see they've sensibly excluded autism, learning  issues and psychosis from this warped drivel it's still dangerous and discriminatory.

    Anxiety and depression also work on a scale, yes there may be a few cases where the claimants depression or anxiety is a one off due to a bad life event and they'll recover, it needs to be recognised also that some depression lasts years or even for life,does not respond to any medication or therapy and that anxiety can also be at a severe end where it takes over and consumes a life, leads to physical symptoms such as vomiting,muscle spasms and much more.

    Thankfully the conservatives won't see power anytime soon, Labour has less of a backbone (thankfully) as well as a handful of genuinely good souls, reform (for now) is irrelevant so again not much will come of this it's too controversial.

    but  these dangerous and clueless politicians need to realise this entire cohort are at high risk of suicide and in my experience cornering them is fatal and foolish because these vulnerable people don't bluff about such a thing.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 2 hours ago
      @Dpb91 Please don't take this the wrong way, Pip is awarded on how much it affects the person not the illness, pointing out different illness cohorts won't help, We are so much stronger standing together. As they tick off one cohort against another and they will, it's better to stand strong together because they are working down a list . The way they treat disabled people says alot about them not us, Everybody works and pays in. But life happens and disability is a club nobody really wants to join ,but things happen, These people are already beating the most vulnerable when there already down. We shouldn't do it to ourselves also. There all about devide and concore, it's a game to them. But unfortunately it's our life.
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 6 hours ago
      @lemon pie 🍋 Will probably be Reform/Tory coalition   if its not a majority for Reform so we are all stuffed either way.  
    • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
      · 7 hours ago
      @lemon pie 🍋 Autism is a wide spectrum disorder though, my friend has autism and holds down a full time job at the local supermarket, I think autism claims should be judged on a case by case basis. The government shouldn't just pick and choose which conditions they think should be exempt and which should be tightened. We should all be assessed equally and fairly on how it effects us as individuals.. It should not be a case of "you have depression so you're NOT getting help, you have autism so you WILL get help, you have depression so you're NOT getting help" etc. It would be discrimination to automatically let some conditions have access to benefits but then at the same time exclude other conditions which are just as debilitating. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 9 hours ago
    It's pure evil. They want us back in the Victorian era, where we have no rights and we have to work our fingers to the bone just to barely manage to survive.
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 10 hours ago
    The Conservatives appear to have adopted the Centre for Social Justice policy suggestion on this. And Labour appear to also give a lot of credence to their policy recommendations

    The Centre for Social Justice policy suggestion:

    "Excluding those with a learning disability,
    psychosis or autism, we have focused on the rising caseload with anxiety, depression, or the
    behaviour condition ADHD.

    Of over three million working-age people on PIP in January 2025, we estimate that there were
    736,000 claimants within this cohort, with our analysis suggesting that around three in ten
    received the higher or “enhanced” version of the benefit. We estimate a further 308,000 people
    with anxiety and depression, or ADHD, will join the benefit by 2030.

    We believe there is a clear case for the government to withdraw PIP and UC Health eligibility
    from those with milder mental health conditions (equating to the 69 per cent of claimants with
    these conditions who do not receive enhanced PIP, translating into roughly 1.09 million claimants
    across PIP and UC). For those retaining eligibility, payments should be reset to £103.10 per week, a
    reduction of roughly £80 per week – aligning the benefit with the standard rates of PIP.

    The savings generated from this reform would provide significant capital to invest in expanded
    treatment. A £1 billion expansion of NHS Talking Therapies could facilitate 1.47 million additional
    courses of treatment (or roughly 300,000 extra courses per year), which has been proven to
    improve mental health conditions and help people into work"

    The Centre for Social Justice is a think tank setup by Conservative MP Ian Duncan Smith to create evidence to support Conservative welfare policies. I say create as they at times have redefined the meaning of words like workless and multi generational worklessness to include working people to create evidence
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 11 hours ago
    You omitted the LibDems Ed Davey told Times Radio welfare expenditure must be cut and there are lots people claiming PIP fraudulent. 
  • Thank you for your comment. Comments are moderated before being published.
    · 11 hours ago
    Looking at Labour, the Tories and Reform, I'm reminded of this line from "Animal Farm": 

    "The creatures outside looked from pig to man, and from man to pig, and from man to pig again; but already it was impossible to say which was which."
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