A root and branch review of childhood

Andy Burnham has set out how the government is approaching reform of support for young people, telling Times Radio it is aiming for 'quite radical change in the way we support young people', possibly including tougher benefit rules alongside more help with work and mental health.

Burnham rejected reading the coming report as a benefits story. In his words, 'It's got to be a root and branch review of childhood', describing the mission as 'rethinking childhood' from the early years onwards. He said too many children are not school-ready at reception age and that, in his words, 'the evidence is many don't catch up', with the gap persisting through school.

Burnham said the issue carries huge societal importance and warned: 'If you leave young people in their 20s without hope, that is a dangerous thing to do'. He added, 'I don't think we have done enough to support young people growing up in a very different world'.

He drew a comparison with earlier overhauls of big settlement areas, likening the reappraisal of young people's opportunities to proposals to change the triple-lock system of guaranteed pension increases while introducing a new adult social care system. He said he is prepared to take difficult decisions because he cannot accept the idea of a million or more young people in their 20s on benefits.

What the Milburn review is expected to say

Burnham spoke before the release of the second report by the former minister Alan Milburn on reducing the numbers of young people not in work, education or training. The review is due to be published in November 2026 and will call for ambitious efforts to help young people get jobs and training.

According to Burnham's remarks, the review is expected to:

• •recommend moves to limit access to some benefits for people who refuse to engage
• •call for ambitious efforts on jobs and training for young people

The scale the first report found

The first part of Milburn's review, published in May, said about one in eight young people – 1 million – were not working or in training.

That report attributed the situation largely to structural factors, including:

• •inequality
• •the modern labour market
• •mental health

What Burnham says about the benefits bill

On the cost, Burnham told the BBC he could not promise when the overall benefits bill would start to fall, because investment must come first. 'What will have to go up first is the spending on support for young people', he said.

He said the extra spending may require reprioritising some money, but argued the overall bill would go down in time. Asked whether the bill would fall in this parliament, he said: 'You do it in a way that's sustainable. And if it could be this parliament – as soon as possible'.

The next step is the publication of Milburn's second report, due in November 2026, which will call for ambitious efforts to help young people get jobs and training.