Milburn outlines new deal to encourage hiring of young Britons

The Story

Alan Milburn said employers need a “new deal” to help encourage hiring of young Britons as immigration levels fall. He also described the welfare system’s incentives as “perverse” and said the UK should learn from the Netherlands, which has a third of the UK’s Neet rate.

Key Facts

• Milburn said there is no evidence linking migration levels to higher Neet rates, but argued falling immigration creates an opportunity to solve the problem.
• He called for employers to work harder to get the best from young British workers and for government to support them.
• Milburn stated that the welfare system has a backlog of two million people waiting for reassessment of work capability.
• He said the Ofsted system needs to change so schools are incentivised to stop pupils becoming Neet.
• In separate news, Scottish Greens co-leader Gillian Mackay urged First Minister John Swinney to tax wealth instead of cutting public sector jobs.
• The British Museum postponed a Jewish culture event after being told a “significant proportion” of registered attendees planned to disrupt it; Kemi Badenoch criticised the decision.

Conflicting Reports

No conflicting reports identified in the source article.

Still Unclear

• What specific government support for employers will be proposed.
• Whether the Scottish government will adopt wealth taxes or replace council tax by 2031.
• When the British Museum will reschedule the postponed Jewish culture event.

Misconceptions

The article addresses the misconception that immigration is the cause of high Neet rates. Milburn stated: “We found no evidence that there is a link between levels of migration and higher levels of Neets.”

Key Figures

• Alan Milburn (former Labour minister, conducting Neets review)
• Gillian Mackay (Scottish Greens co-leader)
• John Swinney (First Minister of Scotland)
• Kemi Badenoch (Conservative MP)
• George Osborne (Chair of the British Museum)
• Stephen Timms (conducting PIP review)
• Ivan McKee (public service reform secretary)

Sources: The Guardian