Richard Partington

speaker

181 appearances 2 recordings 1 series first heard May 2026 last heard 10 Aug

Richard Partington’s voice in public audio — every appearance, attributed to the second.

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Recordings per month over the last 12 months — 2 in all, peaking in Aug 2026 with 1.

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Today in Focus · ‘Lost generation’: why can’t young people get jobs? – The Latest · 28 May 2026 podcast

Also in a cost of living crisis where people haven't got as much money to go out and spend as they might normally do, such as in the pub or a restaurant meal at the end of the week.

The hospitality sector, retail sector, again, places where young people would typically get their first start or maybe have a Saturday job are the places where employment opportunities are falling most.

He diagnosed the problem as the welfare system isn't geared up to encourage people to work.

It's a really delicate and tricky argument for a former Labour cabinet minister to get into with a Labour government that has a patchy record of addressing issues around benefits.

We saw the big welfare rebellion by backbenchers last year, really the start of undermining Keir Starmer's authority as we see this happening.

Today, I would take a plucky prime minister to take on this issue again.

But what Milburn says is that for young people who don't have job support, the consequence is going to be that they're going to be on benefits and that we're spending more on benefits, substantially more on benefits than on employment support, work coaches.

On average, young people who are neat with health issues only get around a minute per week of employment support.

The government spends for every £25 spent on benefits, just £1 on employment support.

So Milburn's argument is that benefits bill, you know, there is a concern about the cost of it.

But to get it down, he says you need to support people to find a job.

And I think that's going to be the challenge that the government has to face to deal with.

Definitely.

And this is something that employers will speak to you about time and again.

It's something that the Labour's critics speak about time and again, the Conservatives, the Lib Dems, they will frame Labour's increase in employer national insurance contributions as a jobs tax.

that has had the biggest impact on entry-level roles, particularly in hospitality, leisure, retail, and the minimum wage again.

So Labour stood on a manifesto promise to equalise youth rates of the minimum wage with the full adult minimum wage and has been steadily increasing that rate for under-24s, but is probably going to hit the pause button.

Certainly, Milburn appears to be advocating for that.

Because there is a concern that if you raise the minimum wage, you begin to price young people out of work.

But again, that is a controversial argument to make.

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