Does anyone really believe that Andy Burnham will succeed in cutting welfare benefits for 16–24-year-olds, as is being reported? Good luck to him if he really does have a go, because it is absolutely needed. The percentage of 16–24-year-olds claiming out of work benefits on the basis of long-term sickness climbed from a low of 5.2 per cent in 2018 to reach 9.3 per cent in 2024. Have we really bred a generation of sickly youths, or are some, just possibly, taking the mickey and claiming to be too unwell to work when they very much could? Burnham will apparently announce this week that in the future, young claimants won’t be allowed to simply sign themselves off on benefits and be left alone: they will have to turn up somewhere and do some work, or engage in some form of work-related training.  

They will define themselves against welfare cuts, pretending that a runaway bill is not really a problem

They will define........

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