Overview
- Former health secretary Alan Milburn opened the investigation after a launch event at Boxing Futures in Peterborough attended by Work and Pensions Secretary Pat McFadden.
- An expert panel featuring Dame Louise Casey, Andy Haldane and Charlie Mayfield will begin work this week to help frame recommendations.
- The call for evidence runs until the end of January, with interim findings slated for spring 2026 and a final report planned for summer 2026.
- About one in eight 16 to 24-year-olds, nearly one million people, are not in education, employment or training, with more than a quarter citing long-term sickness or disability and rates highest in the north-east and north-west of England.
- The Times reports the government is considering removing a Universal Credit health top-up for under-22s to fund wage subsidies, alongside a youth guarantee that offers paid placements for those out of work and study for 18 months.