John Healey has said the strongest support the Government can offer young people is access to work rather than reliance on benefits, setting out his position ahead of next month’s Budget.
The chancellor’s remarks place employment at the centre of the Government’s approach to supporting young people. He presented a job as a more positive form of assistance than continuing to receive benefits.
The speech comes at a politically significant time, with Healey facing pressure to bring down the cost of government borrowing. The supplied material does not provide further details of the measures he may propose in the Budget or explain how his comments would be put into practice.
The Budget is due next month, when the Government’s wider plans and response to borrowing pressures are expected to become clearer.
