The 38 Degree petition has nearly 5,500 signatures backing the call which also demands an “end to discrimination in Disability Benefit Assessments especially where invisible disabilities are the main or only presenting issue.”

Siobhan Winter-Smith, who created the petition, said: "PIP assessments are not fit for purpose.

“They are especially unfit where non-physical disability predominates. The result is that people who used to qualify under DLA, and whose condition may actually have deteriorated, are suddenly found not to fit the PIP 'criteria.'”

The petition follows a Channel 4 dispatches documentary showing the extent of the problems faced by disabled people in claiming benefits. The programme showed how people with "invisible disabilities" such as mental health issues, faced particular problems when assessed.  Read the full article here.