Key facts
- Burnham said he was prepared to take difficult decisions, citing a million or more young people in their 20s on benefits
- Burnham said spending on support for young people would have to rise before the overall benefits bill falls
Andy Burnham said the government is aiming for "quite radical change" in the way young people are supported, in media interviews ahead of the second report by Alan Milburn on young people not in work, education or training. The review is due to be published in November.
Burnham told Times Radio the review was not "a narrow consideration of just the benefits system" but "a root and branch review of childhood and how we support young people on their way in life." He said he was prepared to take difficult decisions on benefits, saying he could not accept the idea of a million or more young people in their 20s on benefits.
Asked in a separate BBC interview whether the overall benefits bill would fall in this parliament, Burnham said spending on support for young people would have to rise first and that he could not promise a date, adding that it should happen "as soon as possible."