Burnham pledges support as Milburn urges welfare shift

Andy Burnham has pledged guaranteed training, work placements, apprenticeships and mental-health support for young people who are not in education, employment or training, as adviser Alan Milburn calls for welfare spending to be shifted toward employment support. Office for National Statistics figures put 981,000 people aged 16 to 24 in the UK in the NEET category between April and June 2026, about one in eight of that age group. The government has said it will provide job and training opportunities, but the reported commitments and proposals have not yet demonstrated outcomes. Writing in a newspaper column, Burnham said young people would receive a technical pathway, placements, apprenticeships and the skills and experience needed to secure work, with timely mental-health support available. He also said the offer would be matched by an expectation that young people take up opportunities made available to them. Burnham pledged to consider Milburn’s recommendations seriously. Milburn, who is advising the government on the issue, said welfare money should be redistributed to employment support. He also called for employment, mental-health and benefits support to be better...