The most deluded man in Britain? Current level of welfare spend 'not a great concern' says minister in charge of reforming ballooning benefits system

By SOPHIE CHURCH - POLITICAL REPORTER Published: 22:43, 9 July 2026 | Updated: 22:45, 9 July 2026 Labour's disability minister has been branded 'completely deluded' after admitting the eyewatering cost of welfare is 'not a great concern'. Britain's disability benefits bill has nearly doubled since 2019 and is set to rise to more than £41 billion in 2030 according to government forecasts. The number of people claiming personal independence payments (PIP) has also rocketed past four million for the first time this year. Yet Sir Stephen Timms, currently auditing the disability benefits system, said on Thursday that the current cost of PIP payments is 'not a great concern'. In an interview with the BBC, he said: 'My view is the current level of spending is not a great concern. 'What would be a concern would be if it carried on going up forever more, and that we have to address, and we will be doing so.' The minister also refused to commit to reducing the number of PIP claimants in the interview, instead saying: 'we'll need to wait and see what our recommendations are.' This comes as the Timms review, published in part on Thursday, made no mention of how cost savings would be made in reforming PIP. Sir Stephen Timms, currently auditing the disability benefits system, said on Thursday that the current cost of PIP payments is 'not a great concern' Helen Whately, shadow work and pensions secretary, said the admission from the welfare minister 'proves how in denial Labour are' Sir Stephen later recognised in the Chamber that rising PIP costs were 'a concern', and said the review's purpose is to make PIP fair 'both for the disabled people who need it and for the taxpayer'. But Reform UK chairman Lee Anderson said: 'Stephen Timms' review says PIP isn't working as intended, yet five minutes later he's on the BBC claiming welfare spending is 'not a great concern'. Labour ministers clearly have no idea what they stand for. 'The spiralling welfare bill, set to exceed £40 billion, is one of the biggest spending concerns facing the government, and Timms is completely deluded to say otherwise.' And Helen Whately, shadow work and pensions secretary, said: 'This admission from the welfare minister proves how in denial Labour are. 'The Timms review never set out to make any savings and so sure enough it doesn't. 'Whether it is Andy Burnham or Keir Starmer neither have a plan or the backbone to cut welfare to fund our defence.' Shimeon Lee meanwhile of the TaxPayers' Alliance, said the Timms review 'risks being yet another whitewash that pushes more people into an already broken and unaffordable welfare system'. He added: 'With working-age claims rising and fewer than one in five claimants in work, the system is increasingly acting as a substitute for employment and a burden on the backs of hard-working families.' Britain's disability benefits bill has ballooned from £15 billion in 2019 to 2020, to £26 billion in 2024 to 2025 – and spending is set to increase to more than £41 billion in 2030 according to government data. A Labour source said: 'The Tories oversaw the biggest ever increase in the welfare bill, collapsed face to face assessments and should be apologising for their failure to reform the broken welfare system which we are now trying to fix'.