New research has suggested that returning to in-person disability benefit assessments could slash the welfare bill by approximately £2billion annually.
The findings emerge from Tory analysis examining how Personal Independence Payment (PIP) evaluations shifted dramatically during the coronavirus pandemic.
Face-to-face meetings to determine Pip eligibility stopped during Covid and have never truly recovered to pre-pandemic levels.
According to the research, claimants are significantly more likely to secure the disability benefit when assessed remotely rather than in person.
This shift has reportedly resulted in an additional £1.8billion in welfare expenditure, with the opposition arguing that telephone assessments have weakened the integrity of the system.
Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary Helen Whately has been forthright in her criticism of the current arrangements.
"The collapse in face-to-face assessments has made it easier to game the system and harder to enforce proper checks," she stated.
The senior Conservative figure warned that the present approach heightens the danger of benefits being granted inappropriately.
Conservative research indicates that returning to in-person disability benefit assessments could slash the welfare bill by approximately £2billion annually
| GETTY"This increases the risk claims are approved when not needed," she added.
"Only by restoring proper, in-person assessments can we make sure support goes to those who truly need it."
The statistical disparity between assessment methods is striking.
When claimants undergo face-to-face evaluations, just 44 per cent ultimately receive PIP.
LATEST DEVELOPMENTS
However, remote assessments yield a considerably higher success rate of 57 per cent.
And the transformation in assessment practices has been dramatic over recent years.
Before the pandemic, the vast majority of evaluations took place in person, with 83 per cent conducted face-to-face during 2019.
By September 2025, that proportion had plummeted to a mere five per cent.
The Tory analysis calculates this has generated approximately 259,000 additional successful claims annually on average, accounting for the £1.8billion increase in welfare spending.
The Department for Work and Pensions has pushed back against the Conservative analysis.
A departmental source stated: "We don't recognise these figures."
"Under the last Government, the number of face-to-face PIP assessments slumped to six per cent. We are increasing that to 30 per cent," the source added.
This represents a significant expansion of in-person evaluations, though it remains well below the 83 per cent level seen before the pandemic fundamentally altered how disability benefit claims are processed.
Our Standards: The GB News Editorial Charter