Burnham pledges welfare changes to tackle young people’s NEET crisis

Summary

Andy Burnham has pledged big changes to the welfare system to tackle the NEET crisis, according to The Guardian’s UK politics live blog. Children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza has highlighted inequalities in how young people are treated across the UK. The live blog also covers other UK political developments, including Downing Street’s rare rebuke of Pete Hegseth’s claim that most non-US Nato soldiers did not fight in Afghanistan. Only the Burnham and NEET material is part of this story.

Timeline

1. The Guardian

   19 Oct 2026, 11:44 UTCSource ↗

   The Guardian’s UK politics live blog reports that Andy Burnham pledged big changes to the welfare system to tackle the NEET crisis, while children’s commissioner Dame Rachel de Souza highlighted inequalities in young people’s treatment across the UK.