UK encourages youth to join army to reduce unemployment

The UK government plans to encourage young people to join the armed forces to reduce youth unemployment and cut benefits. Work and Pensions Secretary Liz Kendall announced this strategy during a House of Commons session. There are currently 642,000 young people aged 16 to 24 unemployed, an increase of 136,000 in the past year. Kendall's commitment came after a suggestion from Conservative MP Mark Pritchard. He proposed that increasing recruitment in the military could help address the rising unemployment. Kendall agreed and stated that she has previously discussed these ideas with local job centers and armed forces recruitment officials. She emphasized the valuable career opportunities available within the military. Along with the recruitment push, Kendall revealed that younger people, specifically those under 22, would lose eligibility for some benefits. She explained that being unemployed or out of training can hurt young people's future prospects. The government aims to reinvest savings from this policy into work support and training opportunities through the £240 million "Get Britain Working" plan. However, the announcement faced criticism from some Labour MPs. Debbie Abrahams, chair of the Work and Pensions Committee, expressed concern about cutting benefits for vulnerable groups like the sick and disabled. She argued that more compassionate funding methods should be considered. Abrahams warned that prior cuts led to severe consequences, including the deaths of some vulnerable individuals. Kendall acknowledged the criticisms and assured that impact assessments of the new policies will be released next week. She argued that despite the significant savings, spending on sickness and disability benefits for working-age individuals will continue to grow in the coming years.