Burnham pledges early intervention and ‘benefits backstop’ to tackle youth jobs crisis
Prime minister promises ‘root-and-branch rethink’ of support for young people as Milburn report advises sweeping changes to some benefits Andy Burnham: The crisis facing Britain’s young people is politicians’ fault. To fix it, we need a generational response Andy Burnham has pledged to intervene as early as childhood to tackle youth unemployment before a watershed review, promising “a…
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to take a "root-and-branch rethink" of support for young people amid a youth jobs crisis. The government, under Burnham's leadership, aims to intervene early in life to tackle youth unemployment, as advised by the Milburn report, which recommends sweeping changes to benefits for under-25s.
Burnham emphasized that the government's response to the youth unemployment crisis would not be a traditional reform, but rather societal and generational. The government plans to reduce the number of 18 to 24-year-olds not in employment, education, or training, targeting a reduction from over a million this year to fewer than half a million in a decade.
Burnham also announced the expansion of a taxpayer-funded scheme to help young people into work, guaranteeing fully funded, six-month jobs for eligible 18 to 24-year-olds after 12 months on universal credit. However, the government intends to reduce benefits for some young people, making them the backstop rather than the starting point.
The Liberal Democrats expressed concerns that the six-month job guarantee is insufficient without a job at the end. Burnham acknowledged critics' calls for immediate cuts to the benefits bill, stating that benefits cuts must be funded upfront, and there is no such thing as a free lunch.
Written by urgent.news from Guardian Business's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
This story
This is one outlet's version. Read the fullest account.
