“Anxiety is normal. Depression is normal,” Mr Milburn told The Times. “There’s a difference between a diagnosis and a disorder. And OK, so people might have anxiety or depression, but it doesn’t mean that therefore you should be written off for not being able to work.”<\/p>\n
The stark intervention comes as roughly one in eight young Britons fall into the Neet category, with Mr Milburn’s review expected to be published in the summer.<\/p>\n
The former minister criticised successive governments for prioritising pensioners while overlooking young people.<\/p>\n
He pointed to the triple lock on state pensions, which is set to add \u00a315.5billion a year to public spending by 2030, as a prime example of this generational imbalance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve decided which generation to back. We back the older generation with a triple lock, but there\u2019s no such guarantee for young people,\u201d Mr Milburn said.<\/p>\n
He warned that the crisis goes far beyond money, affecting opportunities and the future prospects of young Britons.<\/p>\n
![\"Depressed](\"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/il\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/depressed-looking-young-person.png\")
Nearly one million 16 to 24-year-olds are currently not in work, education, or training<\/p>\n
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“I think a lot of the debate around this has been framed in the wrong way as a fiscal problem. It is a fiscal problem, but it’s a moral problem, it’s a social problem, it’s an economic problem. I think you’ve got a moral crisis,” he told The Times.<\/p>\n
With Britain set to have far more retirees than workers, Mr Milburn argued that investing in young people is an investment in the nation\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
He warned of a \u201cdownward escalator\u201d trapping young Britons from childhood onwards.<\/p>\n
The cycle starts in schools, where one in five pupils now receive a special educational needs diagnosis.<\/p>\n
BRITAIN’S YOUTH CRISIS – READ THE LATEST:<\/p>\n
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One in five pupils now receive a special educational needs diagnosis<\/p>\n
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“The vast majority of those then trip into the benefits system because they get child disability allowance,” he explained. <\/p>\n
Nearly a third of Neets are out of work due to illness or disability, with mental health conditions and autism the most common reasons.<\/p>\n
There is particular concern surrounding the 66,000 16 to 18-year-olds who have effectively disappeared from the system.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey should be in full-time education, it\u2019s a legal requirement,\u201d Mr Milburn said. \u201cSo there\u2019s a whole cohort who are sort of invisible.\u201d<\/p>\n
He proposed simplifying post-school options, calling for a single vocational training pathway similar to the Ucas system for university applications.<\/p>\n
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Mr Milburn called for a single vocational training pathway similar to the Ucas system<\/p>\n
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He criticised the current apprenticeship system as misdirected, pointing out that many placements go to people over 40.<\/p>\n
\u201cAsk any member of the public what they think an apprenticeship is. It\u2019s an entry opportunity for young people, not in-work training for older people,\u201d Mr Milburn said.<\/p>\n