UK: Taxpayers shelling out £800 a MINUTE in disability benefits to people claiming to suffer from ‘anxiety’ – as private firms cash in by coaching claimants
UK Mail | 11 April 2026 | Daisy Graham-BrownFirms cash in by coaching claimants in exchange for half their payout
Taxpayers are shelling out £800 in disability benefits every minute to people claiming to suffer from anxiety, The Mail on Sunday can reveal.
The cost of Personal Independence Payments (PIP) for the disorder has rocketed from under £100million in 2019 to nearly £427million last year – under rules that allow anyone, regardless of their income, to collect the payments without ever seeing a doctor.
Instead, the benefit – worth up to £194 a week – can be awarded on nothing more than a personal diary or a letter from a friend describing how anxiety affects daily life.
The payments are not means-tested and there is no requirement to stop working to receive them. A full-time company director on a six-figure salary qualifies on exactly the same basis as anyone else.
Critics say the figures are the latest proof that Britain’s benefits bill is out of control, with total PIP spending projected to rise from £26billion a year to £38billion within five years.
Keir Starmer was forced into a humiliating climbdown last year when he abandoned plans to rein in the soaring costs – pulling the proposal 90 minutes before a Commons vote after biggest rebellion of his premiership.
Ministers had wanted to tighten the rules so claimants had to prove they struggled significantly in at least one area of daily life, rather than qualifying by accumulating small difficulties across several.
Plan collapsed after 126 Labour MPs threatened to block it, with rebels arguing the changes would push disabled people into poverty.
PIP is assessed on points across 12 daily living and mobility activities, from washing and cooking to socialising and planning journeys. Needing prompting to socialise scores two points; being unable to manage it at all scores eight.
Archive of entries posted on 15th April 2026
Bond Girlathon Wednesday : Results from 4/08/2026 : New Matches for 4/15/2026
Hey Rory, I’m ready for our match!
Results from 4/08/2026
| Corinne Clery | No Preference | Mary Stovin |
|---|---|---|
| 153 | 2 | 75 |
| Fiona Fullerton | No Preference | Emily Bolton |
|---|---|---|
| 153 | 4 | 49 |
New Matches for 4/15/2026
Match 1
Leila Shenna (Private Jet Hostess) vs Maryam d’Abo (Kara Milovy)
| Contestant | Record | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Leila Shenna | 0 – 7 – 0 | 145 – 24 – 1072 |
Actress: Leila Shenna Nationality: Moroccan Bond Movie: Moonraker (1979) Synopsis:
James Bond was aboard a private jet, enjoying his “last leg” of the mission with the hostess. Bond stated “I don’t think I’m ever going to fly with anyone else”, to which the hostess responded “You’re so right, Mr Bond” as she pulled a gun on him. Bond was then thrown out of the plane without a parachute, and was left to steal another mans, mid air. The fate of the hostess was unknown.
VS
| Contestant | Record | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Maryam d’Abo | 4 – 3 – 0 | 726 – 10 – 802 |
Actress: Maryam d’Abo Nationality: Dutch Bond Movie: The Living Daylights (1987) Synopsis:
Kara Milovy was the girlfriend of Georgi Koskov, a traitor playing both sides in the cold war. Koskov pretended to defect to the West, and got Milovy to shoot blanks at him to make it look more real. He knew that she would be assassinated by Bond, who was assigned to protect Koskov. However, Bond noticed she wasn’t a professional, and he didn’t kill her. When Koskov was discovered to be a traitor, Bond met Milovy posing as a friend of Koskovs. He gained her trust and revealed his identity, gaining a brave ally for his mission.
Match 2
Carole Bouquet (Melina Havelock) vs Kell Tyler (Linda)
| Contestant | Record | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Carole Bouquet | 2 – 5 – 0 | 618 – 10 – 800 |
Actress: Carole Bouquet Nationality: French Bond Movie: For Your Eyes Only (1981) Synopsis:
Melina Havelock was the daughter of two marine explorers who did salvage work for the British Secret Service. After her parents were assassinated by henchman Hector Gonzales, Melina found the hitman and killed him with a crossbow. She and Bond were both trying to uncover the man who ordered the attacks, and they worked well together, eventually finding him.
VS
| Contestant | Record | Total Scores |
|---|---|---|
| Kell Tyler | 2 – 5 – 0 | 603 – 18 – 992 |
Actress: Kell Tyler Nationality: American Bond Movie: The Living Daylights (1987) Synopsis:
A lady of leisure, Linda was aboard her boat complaining on the phone to a friend. “It’s all so boring here Margo, there’s nothing but playboys and tennis pros. Ugh, if only I could find a real man.” At which point, Bond landed his holey and smoldering parachute on the yacht, hung up her phone and dialled exercise control. He said he would report in an hour, until Linda held up a glass of champagne, then he changed his mind to 2 hours.
