Adults under 25 would be moved off the main sickness benefits under welfare overhaul proposals due next week, according to BBC News.
Alan Milburn is set to publish the second part of his review commissioned by former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer, LBC reported.
Mr Milburn’s proposals would bar adults under 25 from claiming two main sickness and disability benefits: the health element of universal credit and personal independence payments, The Times reported.
Young people affected would instead receive a new youth allowance paid at the standard rate of universal credit. Employment support would also be expanded, with recipients receiving a personal adviser to coach them through the process.
Mr Milburn discussed the upcoming changes following the publication of the interim report into young people and work at a youth employment hub in north London. He said that more money would be spent on employment support as part of a major rewriting of the welfare system.
Mr Milburn said that the menu of opportunities has got to increase and that people will have a personal adviser and be coached all the way through. He added that the adviser will stick with them until they have found a job or an apprenticeship or college place.
Mr Milburn acknowledged that the changes would not be easy for everyone involved and that certain individuals would experience reductions in financial support.
Mr Milburn said that he was not saying any of this would be easy or pain-free because it would not, and that candidly it could mean that some people will get less financial support at the beginning of their benefit claim.
Under the proposals, many people receiving personal independence payments would be moved to a new additional cost allowance to help with disability-related costs, while individuals with disabilities preventing them from ever working would receive a new benefit targeted at a smaller cohort, The Times reported.
The government plans to bring forward major welfare reforms in 2027 to address the 45% of young people who are not in education, employment or training, a group numbering around one million people. Andy Burnham has said an overhaul to the benefits system will require the government to invest in young people.
Disability charity Sense expressed support for efforts to give more young disabled people the opportunity to work while protecting those who cannot, but raised concerns over potential funding gaps.
Sense said the organisation was deeply concerned that if these proposals are taken forward without proper funding for specialist employment support alongside welfare changes, some young disabled people could lose out.
The charity added that many families it supports are deeply anxious about what these changes could mean for them, urging the government to provide clarity as soon as possible.
