Disability benefit claims among young people have grown particularly quickly in affluent parts of south-east England, according to TaxPayers’ Alliance research. The findings have prompted debate over whether the increase reflects worsening health or changes in claiming behaviour, although the report does not establish that claimants are misusing the system.

Farnham and Bordon recorded a 47.7 per cent rise in PIP claimants in their twenties since April 2024, while four South-East constituencies ranked among the ten fastest-growing areas for claims by 16- to 19-year-olds. England and Wales had 4.09 million PIP recipients by July, with psychiatric conditions accounting for almost 40 per cent of new claims last year. The figures come as the Government proposes a Workplace Health System, amid estimates that health-related inactivity costs the UK £212 billion annually.