Milburn review: why under-25s should face fewer benefits under proposed welfare overhaul

Proposed benefit changes

Milburn told the Times that some claimants could receive less financial support at the start of a claim than under the current system. He said the debate should weigh young people’s long-term prospects against their immediate finances.

More employment support planned

The review is also expected to propose billions of pounds in investment in employment support for young people. Measures could include work placements, job subsidies and one-to-one personal advisers.

Milburn said the existing benefit system leaves hundreds of thousands of young people in poverty, without prospects for prosperity or a job. He argued that a new approach should connect entitlements with responsibilities.

Concerns over claimants

Office for National Statistics data for April to June indicates that just under one million young people in the UK were not in education, employment or training. The figure was 3% higher than in the same period last year.

Labour backbencher Bell Ribeiro-Addy said she was unsure whether she could support cuts affecting existing claimants. She argued that taking away financial support would not help disabled young people get into work; the article says potential savings for the state could take almost a decade to appear.