There is little to quibble with in the prime minister’s latest statement of intent about the plight of young people not in education, training or employment – the million-plus so-called Neets.
Andy Burnham is right to remind the nation of the sheer scale of the problem, which affects one in eight of those aged between 18 and 24, equivalent to the population of Birmingham. The loss of GDP that this represents, as well as the hit to tax revenues to support public services, and the drag on living standards in general, hardly bears contemplating. Many billions of pounds, in any case.
