PIP is money given to people, including some of whom are in work, who have extra care or mobility needs as a result of a disability. Politics latest: Follow live The interim review of the Timms report found that PIP, established in 2013 by David Cameron's government, is not working as intended and can prevent disabled people from fully participating in work or social life. It particularly acts as a barrier for people with fluctuating conditions, less visible conditions, or multiple conditions, the report said. As many as 9 in 10 respondents to the review viewed the criteria used to assess their claim as negative - describing the process as "dehumanising", "degrading" and "stressful" - with low levels of trust in the system. It also said the use of supporting evidence when deciding claims was inconsistent. However, the report also found that many see it as vital to help them meet the extra costs associated with disability, and to allow them to participate in everyday life. More than 38,000 people responded to the review's call for evidence, making it the largest co-produced review ever undertaken by government. The review, led by social security minister Sir Stephen Timms, was commissioned last June as part of a climbdown by the government over changes it wanted to make to the welfare system to try and rein in its ballooning cost. The government wanted to change the points system used to determine a person's ability to do certain activities, which influences how much money they will receive. But in order to starve off a rebellion by Labour backbenchers, ministers agreed not to make any changes to PIP until after the Timms review reported. Recommendations based on the review's findings are set to be published in the autumn. As per the review's terms of reference, those recommendations will have to include keeping PIP financially sustainable. Spending on health and disability benefits for working-age adults was £58.2bn in 2024/25 - but is forecast to rise to £81.5bn by 2030/31, according to the Office for Budget Responsibility. That's due to more and more people claiming disability benefits, mostly related to mental health and behavioural conditions. A quarter of working-age people report living with a disability - around 10 million people - with that only set to rise in the coming years. In 2013, when PIP was established, that was under 17%. There were 4.01 million Pip claimants in April 2026, according to Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) data published in June - up 7% in a year and roughly double the number since comparable figures began seven years ago in January 2019, when the total stood at 2.05 million. Of those, 1.56 million were listed as having psychiatric disorders, or 39%, the highest proportion for any type of disability. The Timms report notes that numbers reporting mental health conditions and autism have "increased significantly" since 2009. Timms said that "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 Conservatives' Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately said Labour was "in denial about the welfare state". "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," she added. Read more:Family murdered as father 'on the run'Heatwaves could reduce water quality David Finch, an interim director at the Health Foundation, said that any reforms to "support a sustainable system should avoid past mistakes of using tighter eligibility rules as a blunt tool to control costs - this can worsen outcomes and increase pressure on other public services. "Spending pressures have also built up due to inadequate support in other parts of the benefits system and public services," he said. The review will sit alongside the Milburn review, which found in May that the "rising tide of mental ill health, anxiety, depression and neurodiversity" is leaving more than one million 16 to 24 year olds not in education, employment or training (NEET). Both reviews will publish their final reports in the autumn.

From September, part of the Sentencing Act 2026 will come into force, enabling some offenders to be freed earlier in a bid to reduce overcrowding. Killers, rapists and sex offenders could be among up to 6,000 criminals released early in a few months' time, reports have suggested. Charlie Taylor, the chief inspector of prisons, said the extra capacity could help governors focus more on rehabilitation, but warned institutions were still failing to provide the education, training and risk-reduction programmes needed to support their release. "This is an area we've been worried about for many years," he said. "A lot of prisoners are going to be going out from jails in September, October, November, and we will watch very closely what the effect of that is in terms of reoffending rates and risk to the public." Prisoners locked up for some violent or sexual offences will become eligible for release halfway through their sentences under the changes, rather than serving the current tariff of two-thirds. Burglars and thieves are among the prisoners who will be considered for release a third of the way through their sentences, down from the current 40%. The first 700 offenders are to be released in September, the Telegraph has reported. Read more from Sky News:Farage reacts to Sky News question on his financesCharlie Kirk's widow faces his alleged killer in court Victims have started to receive letters from the government telling them their abusers or attackers are set to be freed under the scheme. Former Home Office minister Jess Phillips said last week "there should be more exemptions within the release scheme", including to keep adults who rape children in jail for longer. Meanwhile, The Sunday Times reported that Andy Burnham, widely expected to be the next prime minister, is looking at ways to tighten the early prison release scheme to stop child sex offenders walking free. A Ministry of Justice spokesperson said: "This government is fixing the prison crisis it inherited - building 14,000 more prison places and reforming sentencing so we can always lock up dangerous criminals. "Without this decisive action, prisons will run out of space entirely as early as November and we will be unable to lock up serious offenders at all." A spokesperson for Mr Burnham has been contacted.

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Speaking on the Electoral Dysfunction podcast, Harriet Harman said that although Mr Burnham has "got a strong team of women around him and he's got a good record in Manchester of always including women and not having a boys' club", the Women's Parliamentary Labour Party (PLP) "are not prepared to take it on trust any more". Politics Hub: Follow the latest Baroness Harman added that the number of women in Mr Burnham's cabinet is going to be a "central issue because the women are going to make it so". Mr Burnham is currently the only declared candidate in the upcoming Labour leadership contest, with no other candidate expected to run against him. He will likely become prime minister on 20 July if he remains the only candidate. Baroness Harman said there would be "no more playing nice by the women in the Parliamentary Labour Party", following accusations of a boys' club and misogyny in Downing Street under Sir Keir Starmer. "They really want to see their place on equal terms now," she added. Put to her by Sky's political editor Beth Rigby that, as deputy Labour leader under Gordon Brown she was denied the post of deputy prime minister, alongside reports that Mr Burnham could appoint both Miliband brothers to senior roles in his cabinet, Baroness Harman said there is "scar tissue here". The Women's PLP has drafted a letter to Mr Burnham demanding he ensures at least 50% of ministerial jobs, and jobs in Number 10, go to women, our political reporter Faye Brown has reported. Mr Burnham attended a meeting of the Women's PLP on Tuesday, with multiple sources present telling Sky News that he was receptive to the jobs idea. 👉 Click here to listen to Electoral Dysfunction on your podcast app 👈 'Regretful' the next leader likely be another man Baroness Harman added that while there has "been a very big welcome for Andy Burnham", female Labour MPs were also "regretful that once again, the Labour Party has got their next male leader". Labour have never had a female leader, although they have had two female acting leaders, including Baroness Harman. The party has had four female deputy leaders, including the incumbent, Lucy Powell. Some female Labour MPs have told Sky News that the demands made of Mr Burnham over jobs will make it more likely that a woman succeeds him when the time comes. "There are many talented women in the PLP. The chances of them succeeding [Burnham] are more likely if you've held high office," one MP said.