Labour needs ‘system reset’ to tackle youth unemployment, report to say

Labour has failed to tackle soaring youth unemployment and must launch a “system reset” involving a fresh attempt to overhaul health and disability benefits, a report commissioned by the government is to warn. Alan Milburn, who is leading a review into why almost a million young people are not in education or work, said ministers had so far responded with a series of disjointed jobs programmes. “It’s going in the wrong direction,” Milburn said. “When you look at that picture I guess our conclusion is it’s a catastrophic systems failure.” Efforts to support young people – in education, health, and Labour’s youth guarantee – were “very welcome steps”, he said. However, he criticised Keir Starmer for lacking a cohesive strategy. “My question is: who is joining the dots? If ever there was a case for mission-based government, this is it,” he said. “Is it laddering up to a [job market] participation-first service, where everybody is aligned behind the shared objective? Which is that every young person should be given the opportunity to earn or learn. And the answer to that question is: that’s not what’s happening.” In a highly anticipated report due to be published on Thursday, the former Labour health secretary will say that the government must take a fresh approach to overhauling Britain’s system of welfare and jobs support for young people. …