Overview
- Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden announced the probe, calling the trend a “crisis of opportunity.”
- Former health secretary Alan Milburn will lead the inquiry, with interim findings due in spring and a final report in summer, engaging experts, employers and young people with lived experience.
- Nearly 940,000 16–24-year-olds are NEETs, with officials warning the total could exceed one million within months.
- Health-related barriers are a central focus as a quarter cite long-term sickness or disability, health-benefit claims are up by more than 50% in five years, and 80% of recipients report mental health or neurodevelopmental conditions.
- The initiative has backing from the health and education secretaries after earlier plans to cut about £5 billion from disability and sickness benefits were dropped following Labour backbench opposition.