Former cabinet minister Alan Milburn's forthcoming report advocates for a youth guarantee covering college places, apprenticeships, and job placements. Milburn aims to fund the initiative by curbing benefit payments for certain young people, drastically narrowing the spending ratio between welfare and active employment aid. Additionally, ministers are already easing access to subsidized minimum-wage positions by lowering the qualifying unemployment threshold to 12 months.
Key points
Pat McFadden believes establishing a legislative underpinning will provide young people w…: Pat McFadden believes establishing a legislative underpinning will provide young people with much greater certainty regarding employment assistance.
Enhanced government career support is expected to come with stricter obligations requirin…: Enhanced government career support is expected to come with stricter obligations requiring young people to take offered placements.
The government has already broadened youth job initiatives this year by increasing the ma…: The government has already broadened youth job initiatives this year by increasing the maximum qualifying age to 24.
Sources checked by our analysis pipeline: 1
- Published
The work and pensions secretary has backed the idea that the government should legally guarantee young people help to get into employment.
Pat McFadden told the BBC that job support should be given a "legislative underpinning", adding the level of assistance on offer was currently "vague".
It comes ahead of a long-awaited review - set to be published on Tuesday - by former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, which will say that under-25s should be guaranteed job placements or training to help them find permanent work.
Milburn is also expected to recommend that some young people should see their entitlement to claim benefits reduced, to free up funding for the new system.
Speaking to Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Milburn said he wanted a major shift in the ratio of spending on benefits versus employment support.
He has previously put this figure at about £25 is spent on benefits verses every £1 spent on employment support - a ratio he said he wants to see move to £2 to £1.
Organised by Million Moments for Democracy, the upcoming rally follows weeks of unrest and broadcast strikes across the country. Demonstrators oppose coalition plans to eliminate independent licence fees and slash broadcaster funding by an estimated 15%, warning the policy threatens editorial autonomy. The gathering at Letná Plain is also set to serve as a major platform for broader public opposition against Prime Minister Andrej Babiš.
Diplomatic officials in Amman warned that the recent hostile action represents a dangerous escalation and a breach of international law. The denunciation arrives as the wider region faces heightened instability and uncertainty regarding ongoing hostilities involving Tehran, Washington, and Israel. Regional allies are mobilizing diplomatic pressure to counter threats aimed at Gulf state sovereignty.
Regional tensions escalated after Iranian armed forces targeted American defense infrastructure positioned within the Gulf nation. Tehran justified the military operation as a retaliatory action following an earlier attack on its domestic communication systems. The incident marks a wider escalation in direct engagements between Tehran and Washington across Middle Eastern airspace.