Andy Burnham said reforms to education will help avert a new generation of “Neets” — the term used for people aged 16 to 24 in the UK who are not in education, employment or training
More than a million young people are now outside education, employment or training. Behind that grim figure are wasted talents, damaged confidence and futures being allowed to slip away. Andy Burnham is right to reject the lazy claim that these youngsters simply do not want to work. Too many have been abandoned by a system that offers too little help, then punishes families when a teenager tries to take an apprenticeship. A household losing money because a child chooses training over benefits is plainly absurd. The new bursary of up to £4,500 a year will help remove that cruel trap and give more young people a proper route into skilled work. But this crisis has been years in the making and will demand far more than one payment. Colleges need investment, apprenticeships must lead to secure jobs, and young people need support before they lose hope. The Prime Minister says he is on a mission. Britain’s young people now need him to deliver.
BBC refuses to be bullied
The BBC was wrong to broadcast a misleading edit of Donald Trump’s speech before the January 6 riots. It admitted the mistake and apologised. But that should never mean surrendering to a £7.5billion defamation demand. Unlike several American media giants that quickly paid Trump millions of dollars to make cases disappear, the BBC has chosen to fight. Now that courage has been rewarded. A judge has ruled that Trump cannot claim devastating damage to his businesses and brand while refusing to reveal the financial records that might prove whether any such harm exists. For years, Trump has guarded those records fiercely. Now his own lawsuit may force them into the open. The BBC has shown that accountability and capitulation are not the same thing. It made an error, owned up to it, and refused to be bullied.
It’s a Por show
Richard Hammond has been fined £1,771 after speeding in both a Porsche and a Bentley. Perhaps the former Top Gear presenter thought changing cars would confuse the cameras. Sadly, the law has excellent eyesight. Seven points later, he may finally have discovered a motoring challenge he cannot outrun.