Tony Blair Institute urges ending benefits for anxious youth to curb NEET surge
The Tony Blair Institute for Global Change recommends cutting cash benefits for under-25s with non-work-limiting anxiety and depression, redirecting funds to treatment and job programmes.
A report from the Tony Blair Institute for Global Change calls for a major overhaul of the UK welfare system, suggesting that cash benefits for young people with anxiety or depression that does not limit work should be ended. The proposal would strip the health element of Universal Credit and Personal Independence Payment for under-25s, reallocating those funds to mental-health care, skills development and guaranteed job placements.
The institute says the existing model rewards inactivity and worsens the NEET crisis, which still affects around one million youths. Alan Milburn, heading a government-commissioned review, has described the situation as a "catastrophic system failure" and may recommend similar cuts. Disability groups, including Scope, argue that removing benefits would increase poverty among disabled youths.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham has pledged to reduce the welfare bill but insists reforms must not create new crises. Officials also note rising employer costs for hiring 18-year-olds and suggest halting plans to equalise the youth minimum wage with adult rates.
Why it matters
The proposal could reshape welfare support for vulnerable young adults and affect millions of UK youths.
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