Today, Thursday 9 July 2026, the Timms Review interim report lays out plainly what we’ve been hearing from our community for many years – Personal Independence Payment (PIP) is not fit for purpose.
The system is failing millions of disabled people, including those living with muscle wasting conditions. Our community deserves better.
“It’s upsetting, but not surprising, to hear that some of the common words to describe people’s experiences of claiming PIP were ‘dehumanising’, ‘soul destroying’ and ‘degrading’.
“In our submission to the Review, we called for the PIP assessment to be completely redesigned in co-production with disabled people. Whilst the Review does not yet set out firm recommendations, it suggests that an overhaul will indeed be needed to fix PIP.
“To make these recommendations fair and fit for purpose, it’s vital the Review continues to focus on people’s experiences of claiming PIP and real evidence, rather than being influenced by political pressure to reduce public spending.”
In October 2025, the UK government launched the Timms Review, the first ever full review of PIP since its introduction in 2013. The Review came about after planned reforms to PIP failed to get the necessary support in Parliament. Alongside over 100 other charities, Muscular Dystrophy UK opposed the reforms.
Instead, the Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) announced the Review to be co-led by the Minister for Social Security and Disability, Sir Stephen Timms, alongside co-chairs Sharon Brennan and Dr Clenton Farquharson CBE. The Review appointed a steering group to ‘co-produce’ the work, from early fact-finding through to a final report.
Along with other disability charities, we submitted evidence to inform the Review, which was based on the experiences shared by our community. We’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who helped us with this.
The topline finding is that PIP is no longer fit for purpose and is failing millions of disabled people – something we’ve been hearing from our community for many years.
The Review, which heard from nearly 40,000 people and organisations across the country, says that 90% of the evidence it received shared a negative view of the process of claiming for PIP.
This interim report echoes what you’ve been telling us for many years: that the system is difficult to navigate, stressful, and does not recognise the reality of living with a complex progressive condition. Though it makes for hard reading, we’re pleased that the report speaks about these challenges honestly and openly.
We also welcome the commitment to making this a genuinely co-produced report driven by the lived experience of people living with disabilities. Though this is only the start of the reform process, we recognise the effort that has gone into this work from the Review co-chairs, the steering group and DWP.
When we wrote our evidence for the Review, over 100 of you told us about your own experiences claiming PIP. Being able to submit evidence so heavily informed by our community means that your voices have been heard, and we were pleased to see so many of the issues we raised together being reflected in the report.
The Timms Review steering group will now spend August and September turning the evidence from this interim report into a range of policy recommendations.
They say they will continue to engage and work with disabled people and organisations on these recommendations. We will be working hard to make sure that they improve the experience of claiming PIP for people living with muscle wasting conditions.
It’s essential that the Review’s commitment to co-production with disabled people continues in the coming months as they get ready to put their recommendations to the UK government towards the end of the year.
Sara shares how PIP supports her independence, but why the system should better recognise the lifelong nature of progressive conditions.
Find out more about PIP, who can claim, and how to apply.
