Workshy young need tough love, says Alan Milburn: Those with mild ADHD and anxiety should lose benefits if they refuse to work
Alan Milburn, the former Labour minister currently leading a government review into youth unemployment, has called for a "tough love" approach to young people on benefits, arguing the current system amounts to "a total state failure". He told The Times that those on health and disability benefits who are capable of working should face an "obligation" to accept employment support, backed by a "duty to engage" and, ultimately, a "backstop" of reduced benefits for those who repeatedly refuse to participate, as a last resort. His comments come as separate proposals from Education Secretary Lucy Powell push for a shake-up of vocational education from age 14.
Official figures published in May showed the number of 16 to 24-year-olds not in work or education surpassed one million for the first time since 2013, reaching 1.01 million in the first quarter of the year, with Milburn's interim report warning this could rise to one in six young people by 2031. He pointed to the Netherlands, where a similar benefits "backstop" is in place and the NEET rate is 4.8%, compared with 13.6% in the UK, while insisting young people are not "lazy" or "snowflakes" but frustrated and aspirational. Powell separately said she wants reformed Ofsted standards to support new "high quality" vocational qualifications alongside academic study, rejecting the idea of a two-tier schooling system.
In short
- Milburn urges "tough love": reduce benefits for young people who refuse work support
- UK youth NEET figures topped one million for first time since 2013
- Comes alongside Lucy Powell's push for equal-status vocational qualifications from age 14
Steelman: both sides, in good faith
The strongest fair case each way — we don't pick a winner.
The case for
Supporters argue that young people who can work should be expected to engage with help into employment, with benefit reductions reserved for repeated refusal as a last resort. They see this as a way to make support purposeful, reduce long-term detachment from work and education, and balance the state’s help with a fair expectation of participation.
The case against
Critics argue that reducing benefits risks punishing young people whose ADHD, anxiety or other health conditions make work or engagement difficult, even when those difficulties are not readily visible. They favour voluntary, tailored support and better access to treatment, training and suitable jobs, warning that sanctions could deepen hardship and make it harder for people to move into work.
Explained simply
Young people classed as not in education, employment or training are often called NEET. The term covers people with different circumstances, including those who are ill or have disabilities, and does not mean they are all looking for work in the same way. Rising numbers have drawn attention to how schools, employers and the benefits system support young people into adult life.
Alan Milburn is a former Labour minister who is reviewing youth unemployment for the government. His work sits alongside a wider debate about support for people receiving health-related benefits and whether they should be expected to take part in help with finding work. Education Secretary Lucy Powell is also considering changes to vocational courses, which offer practical training alongside academic study.
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