Labour adviser calls for welfare cuts to fund youth job support

Government adviser Alan Milburn has suggested that welfare spending should be reduced and redirected into job support programmes to address the growing number of young people out of work, the Daily Mail reported on 19 October 2026. Prime Minister Andy Burnham is being urged to consider the measures to help young adults find employment, though the proposal to trim welfare could face opposition from Labour members of Parliament. [1][6][7]

The Daily Mail reported that the Prime Minister is ready to invest in young people who are not in education, employment, or training. The Prime Minister described the presence of nearly one million young people out of work or education as both an economic catastrophe and a moral failure, as FTMQ News reported earlier. [1][6]

Writing in The Times, Prime Minister Burnham stated that benefits ought to serve as a backstop rather than a starting point. The United Kingdom government is expected to announce thousands of new job opportunities for young people later in the week, as FTMQ News reported earlier. [2][6]

The term NEET originated in the United Kingdom during the late 1990s to classify individuals who are unemployed and not participating in education or vocational training. Andy Burnham assumed the office of Prime Minister in July 2026 following the resignation of Keir Starmer. [4][5][6][7]