Ash Sarkar, "Every time we've had these squeezes on welfare recipients, what we've actually seen, rather than dealing with issues like long-term unemployment, is an increase in child poverty, and in-work poverty as well"
"Half of all NEETs are not receiving welfare of any kind.. There's a crisis of opportunity and a crisis of purpose"
"There are 140 applicants for the average graduate job opportunity.. That's the worse it has been since 1991"
"It's up to successive governments that have failed to create opportunities for young people in this country"
My view: It's been around 10% for decades
Britain cannot punish its way into prosperity. If work is meant to be the route out of poverty, it must be available, secure, accessible and pay enough to live on.
For too long, governments have responded to economic failure by blaming those locked out of opportunity. The real solution is investment in decent jobs, skills, healthcare, mental-health support and affordable homes, not cutting support and pretending hardship is an employment policy.