Prime Minister is being asked to offer a ‘fair chance’
A letter addressed to Andy Burnham is seeking to pressure the Prime Minister into making sweeping changes amid what has been described as a “national scandal”.
The Prime Minister has received an urgent call to address a “whole-system failure” that is leaving hundreds of thousands of young disabled people trapped in a “nightmare” with no employment prospects or opportunities. A formidable coalition of prominent charities has written directly to Downing Street, demanding bold cross-government measures to give young people with disabilities a “fair chance” at life.
This comes despite the Government recently unveiling a massive £3.5 billion shake-up of employment reforms, which promises to fast-track young disabled people and those with long-term health conditions into work. The Disability Charities Consortium (DCC), which includes Mencap, cautioned the Prime Minister that the prospect of a secure job has become a mere “fairy tale” for far too many young people.
Open letter to Andy Burnham
In a deeply personal open letter, the charities called on Mr Burnham to consider his own childhood aspirations, asking: “Do you remember being a child dreaming of your future? What did you want to be? An astronaut? Playing upfront for Everton? The Prime Minister? We’re sure your dreams were endless.”
The letter emphasises that while not every aspiration can be fulfilled, every young person is entitled to a basic fair opportunity. Instead, the charities caution that young disabled adults are encountering a “nightmare” in which they are completely ignored by employers, excluded from appropriate support, and subsequently “blamed for a system that failed them.”
Recent statistics reveal that nearly one million young people across the UK are presently not in education, employment or training (NEET). Alarmingly, 45% of these young people indicate having a disability – a figure that has more than doubled from 21.1% over the past decade.
The charities warned it constitutes a “national scandal” that the state can clearly identify which children face the greatest risk of being left behind years in advance, yet maintain it continues to fail to intervene early enough.
What the Government is doing
In an attempt to address the UK’s stubbornly high disability employment gap, the Government announced on September 27 that it is extending its Jobs Guarantee scheme.
Supported by £2.5 billion for Youth Guarantee schemes over the next three years, eligible young people receiving health benefits will be offered a guaranteed job on a voluntary basis from week 13 following their Work Capability Assessment. The Government has committed to covering 100% of wage costs for up to 25 hours per week over six months, while employers who take on an unemployed young person for half a year will be given a £3,000 payment.
The accelerated scheme, which will additionally offer mentoring and bespoke support covering mental health, financial matters, and accommodation, is scheduled to launch in April 2027 and is designed to assist 90,000 young people into employment by the close of this Parliament.
Charities, however, are urging the Prime Minister to guarantee these wide-ranging reforms deliver tangible results, especially for individuals dependent on the social security system.
The Government had earlier unveiled a fresh “right to try” guarantee, enabling those receiving sickness benefits to explore employment opportunities without the immediate risk of forfeiting their financial assistance.
Emphasising the significance of this measure, the DCC’s letter stated: “Young disabled people need the right to try – no one should fear that taking up employment will be damaging. Young disabled people aren’t short of ambition. What they need is opportunity.”
Leading learning disability charity Mencap used social media platform X to support the campaign, writing: “A fair chance at a future shouldn’t be a fairy tale. But for too many young disabled people, that’s exactly what it feels like.
“Today, we joined the Disability Charities Consortium in writing an open letter to Prime Minister Andy Burnham… Young disabled people deserve the right support and opportunities to build the future they want.”
The consortium is calling for a “national mission” to dismantle the barriers between government departments, cautioning that young people live “one life, not a series of government departments.”
In a final appeal to Mr Burnham, the charities wrote: “This generation of leaders has the power to change the story.
“We can continue to intervene late, after opportunities have narrowed and young people have been left behind. Or we can act earlier, join up the systems around them and give them a genuine opportunity to build a future of their own.
“That shouldn’t be a fairy tale. It should be the very least we expect.”
