Key facts
- Milburn's review is expected to recommend moving under-25s off the health element of universal credit and Pip, the BBC reported.
- Under-25s would instead receive an allowance at the same basic rate as universal credit, the BBC reported.
- Whitehall sources said the plans could take a decade to deliver savings, the Daily Mail reported.
- Burnham declined to commit to implementing the review's recommendations in full, the Daily Mail reported.
- Health and disability benefit payments are forecast to rise from £85.6 billion last year to £120.2 billion by the end of the decade, the Daily Mail reported.
Alan Milburn, who led a government-commissioned review of youth unemployment, said his plans to overhaul benefits for young people would not be "pain-free" and would affect both existing and new claimants, the BBC reported. His year-long report is due to be published on Tuesday, according to the BBC.
The review is expected to recommend moving under-25s off the main sickness and disability benefits, the BBC reported. Under the plan, under-25s would no longer be able to claim the health element of universal credit or personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit in England and Wales. They would instead receive an allowance at the same basic rate as universal credit, with some eligible for a new "additional cost allowance."
Milburn told the Times that some people could get less financial support at the start of a benefit claim than under the current system. He argued the priority should be young people's longer-term life chances rather than their immediate finances.
Prime Minister Andy Burnham said young people would be given support "when they need it as teenagers rather than leaving them on benefits in their 20s." The Daily Mail reported that Whitehall sources said the plans, which involve heavy investment in back-to-work schemes, could take a decade to deliver savings. Burnham did not challenge that timeline but said the plans would not involve "more money," with savings found elsewhere in government.
The Daily Mail reported that health and disability benefit payments are forecast to rise from £85.6 billion last year to £120.2 billion by the end of the decade, while the wider welfare bill is forecast to rise from £333.8 billion to £431.3 billion over the same period. Burnham declined to commit to implementing the review's recommendations in full, telling reporters: "There's lots of detailed recommendations, so I can't give you that blanket assurance here tonight."
Labour MP Meg Hillier told the BBC she was giving Milburn "a fair wind," while Labour backbencher Bell Ribeiro-Addy said she was "not sure" she could vote to cut the benefit entitlement of existing claimants. A government spokesperson said: "We will always ensure there is a safety net for the most vulnerable."