Chancellor Rachel Reeves will announce a "youth guarantee" scheme promising paid work to all long-term unemployed young people. Those claiming universal credit for 18 months without "earning or learning" will be guaranteed a paid work placement under the new programme.
Young people could face benefit sanctions if they refuse job offers without reasonable excuse. The scheme targets the current situation where one in eight 16 to 24-year-olds are not in education, work or training.
Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden will oversee the programme, which promises college places, apprenticeships or one-to-one job support. Reeves will tell the Labour conference in Liverpool that the guarantee forms part of "nothing less than the abolition of long-term youth unemployment".
Conference speech promises
The Chancellor will announce that every young person will be guaranteed "either a place in a college, for those who want to continue their studies, or an apprenticeship". She will add: "But more than that, our guarantee will ensure that any young person out of work for 18 months will be given a paid work placement. Real work, practical experience, and new skills."
Reeves will frame the policy around building a society founded on "contribution" and "hard work matched by fair reward". She is expected to say: "We won't leave a generation of young people to languish without prospects - denied the dignity, the security and the ladders of opportunity that good work provides."
Additional funding announcements
The Chancellor will announce funding for libraries in the 1,700 English primary schools currently without them. The £132.5 million programme will be funded from dormant assets, which Reeves will describe as "Labour values in action".
Jonathan Douglas, chief executive of the National Literacy Trust, called the announcement "game-changing and a monumental milestone for the Libraries for Primaries campaign". New procurement rules will also prioritise British-built ships and steel to support national security.
Political reaction and immigration plans
Shadow Chancellor Sir Mel Stride criticised the proposals, arguing that Reeves had introduced "a £25 billion jobs tax that made it more expensive for businesses to hire, especially young people" in her first budget. The comments highlight Conservative opposition to Labour's employment policies.
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood will also address the conference on Monday with tougher immigration rules. Migrants seeking indefinite leave to remain will need to demonstrate high-standard English, maintain clean criminal records and volunteer to show their worth to society.
Sources used: "PA Media" Note: This article has been edited with the help of Artificial Intelligence.
