Former health secretary Alan Milburn has warned of “shameful” failings in the welfare system that are trapping young people on benefits. Speaking on the BBC’s Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, he said the state spends 25 times more on welfare for young people than on employment support, with incalculable costs for their life chances.
Mr Milburn, who leads a government review into young people not in employment, education or training (Neet), said welfare reform is essential and urged Labour MPs to remember the party is “the party of work”. He also criticised the impact of social media, describing young people as “an anxious generation” whose brains have been “rewired” by constant screen use.
The interim report, expected next week, will highlight that many young Neets “live in their bedrooms” and suffer from disrupted sleep and concentration. Mr Milburn said they are “not snowflakes” but a generation facing higher levels of anxiety and depression, and that employers must offer greater pastoral care.
According to the Office for National Statistics, an estimated 12.8 per cent of 16- to 24-year-olds in the UK were Neet between October and December 2025, a total of 957,000 individuals. Mr Milburn accused businesses of relying on “oven-ready” migrant labour instead of investing in young British workers.
