Milburn plan would end PIP and sickness benefit for under-25s

Young people would no longer be able to claim the two main sickness and disability benefits under proposals from former health secretary Alan Milburn, according to The Times, The Independent and the Mirror. Under 25s would lose access to the health element of universal credit and to personal independence payment (PIP), and move to a new youth allowance paid at the same level as the standard rate of universal credit.

Mr Milburn has acknowledged that the change will not be "pain-free". He said some people could receive less financial support at the start of a claim than they do now.

What would change for young claimants

The Independent, citing The Times, set out how the new system would work for people aged 18 to 24:

• Young people would be unable to claim the health element of universal credit or PIP.
• Instead they would receive a youth allowance, paid at the standard universal credit rate.
• Those who currently receive PIP, which is intended for people with a disability, would move to a new "additional cost allowance" covering day-to-day costs linked to their conditions.
• People who are not capable of working at all because of a disability would get a new benefit paid at a higher rate.

Mr Milburn, who chairs the Social Mobility Foundation, spent the last year reviewing the position of the one million young people who are not in education, employment or training, known as Neets. He told The Times that reforming the system would be the best way to give them a chance of finding work.

Why Mr Milburn says the trade-off is worth it

In his interview, Mr Milburn said young people face a different debate from other claimants: whether the priority should be their longer-term life chances or their immediate, shorter-term finances. He argued that the current system puts the second ahead of the first and that this is the wrong choice.

He said he was more focused on what would give young people the best chance of building a good life over their lifetimes than on leaving them better off for a year or two.

More help to find work

The proposals also include an expansion of employment support. Mr Milburn told The Times that the range of opportunities on offer has to grow. Each young person would have a personal adviser who coaches them throughout and stays with them until they find a job, an apprenticeship or a college place.

Prime Minister Andy Burnham has said that overhauling the benefits system will require the government to invest up front in young people.

What the disability charity Sense is worried about

The charity Sense said it supports efforts to give more young disabled people the opportunity to work, while protecting those who cannot. But its director of influencing, Harriet Edwards, said the charity is deeply concerned that, if the proposals go ahead without proper funding for specialist employment support alongside the welfare changes, some young disabled people could lose out.

She said it needs to be clear who will qualify for the new support, who risks missing out and what practical, accessible help young disabled people will actually get to find work. Ms Edwards added that many of the families the charity supports are deeply anxious about what the changes could mean for them, and urged the government to provide clarity as soon as possible.

What it means for young people and families

If the plans were adopted, a young person who now claims PIP or the health element of universal credit would instead be paid the youth allowance at the standard universal credit rate. Mr Milburn accepts that this could mean less money at the beginning of a claim for some. Those who rely on PIP for disability-related costs would move to the additional cost allowance, and those unable to work at all would receive a higher-rate benefit.

Much of the detail, including who qualifies for each payment, has yet to be published.

What happens next

Reports differ on when the review will appear: The Independent said it would be published on Tuesday, while the Mirror said Mr Milburn is expected to publish his verdict next week. The government plans to bring forward major welfare reforms in 2027.

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Around Prague, based on reporting by The Independent, Mirror