With around one million young people in the UK not in employment, education or training, GMB General Secretary Gary Smith has warned that failing to address the crisis would be a disaster for their life chances and for the economy. Writing in The Mirror ahead of Alan Milburn's report on the issue, Smith described the figure as scarcely believable in 2026.
Procurement as a solution
Smith argued that two major challenges - the Neets crisis and national security - could be solved together through the right choices. He criticised the UK for awarding key government contracts in defence, infrastructure and other industries to overseas producers, saying British taxpayers' money was creating jobs abroad instead of at home.
The GMB leader welcomed the government's commitment to UK shipbuilding, citing yards from Rosyth to Appledore, Belfast to Barrow, Aldershot to Plymouth, and the Mersey to the Tyne as potentially transformative. He noted that the Chancellor had said the same for other projects, and that buying British would allow firms to plan ahead and develop the workforce they need.
Apprenticeships and industrial communities
Smith pointed to the thousands of new apprentices in Barrow who are training to build submarines while earning as they learn. He described them as a vital part of a wider success story for the town, bringing back jobs and prosperity to an industrial community that had been failed by Westminster.
He also highlighted the nationalisation and protection of Scunthorpe's steelworks, which he said gives more young people optimism about their future there. Key infrastructure projects, including railway lines, hospitals and roads, would be able to rely on UK supply chains protected from global market shocks, he added.
Broader challenges
Smith also touched on other issues, including a Reform-led council in Barnsley attempting to cut nursery workers' pensions. He compared the workers to the Glasgow women who fought for equal pay, saying women remain systematically undervalued and underpaid.
On energy, he said Trump's war in Iran and Putin's invasion of Ukraine led to skyrocketing bills, and criticised the Tories for closing gas storage facilities. He called for investment in extra gas capacity and home-grown energy sources. On Amazon, he said the new package of workers' rights delivered by the government means staff may finally get the union representation they want.
