In a House of Commons debate on youth hubs, Bridgwater MP Sir Ashley Fox welcomed the Government’s initiative to support young people into work and training, but stressed that broader economic conditions must be right for these programmes to succeed.
Ashley Fox said in the chamber, “I wish the Secretary of State well with this initiative, but does he share my concern that as his Department seeks to reduce youth unemployment, the Chancellor is doing everything she can to increase it, with her jobs tax increasing unemployment? Of the 170,000 payroll jobs lost since the election, until November 2025, some 45% involved young people. How does his scheme cope with that?”
The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Pat McFadden, replied that the Government was focused on improving access to training, skills, and employment opportunities through joined-up employment services.
After the debate, Ashley Fox said, “This Government has hammered businesses with the damaging jobs tax and higher business rates, and the negative impact is being felt by too many young people. While I welcome any efforts to reduce youth unemployment, I am concerned that Government departments are not working together, with conflicting policies hurting the futures of our young people.”
