Young people were not granted a moral exemption here; they were offered a different diagnosis. The chamber accepted the proposition while leaving plenty of room for disagreement about effort, expectations and responsibility.
The floor’s most-respected Yes case pointed to scale rather than stereotype: “Better apprenticeships, technical education and proper support” were presented as the practical answer to barriers that keep people out of work or training. Other Yes voters wanted polytechnics and trades restored, questioned the value of unsuitable university courses, and argued that positive outcomes, role models and realistic first-job expectations mattered.
The No case was not simply a defence of calling young people lazy. Its strongest voice said, “No, he can’t be right by definition”, while another argued that “Not lazy, just need opportunities” was only half the compact: motivation, attendance and a duty to participate had to accompany any offer. Some pointed to voluntary work, sport and community activity as opportunities already available, while others blamed schools, vanished trades and a failure to prepare young people for adult life.
The sharper disagreement was over where responsibility sits. Several voters tied the problem to wage suppression, taxes, employers’ national insurance, employment rights and migrant labour; the most concise version blamed “wage suppression and too high taxes reducing incentives for work and progression”. Alongside that policy argument came complaints about benefits becoming a lifestyle, jobs needing to be meaningful, influencers making effortless income look normal, and — at the room’s fringes — claims that Burnham was chasing youth votes or was a “Globalist plant”.
The chamber’s message was therefore conditional but clear: opportunity came first in the verdict, though nobody quite abolished the obligation to take it.
19 Opinions
Whilst I am sure many may be purely lazy, it is right to say that fewer opportunities exist for young people, these are, in some ways, due to this governments policies, increasing employers NI, higher wages for younger people and the employment rights bill make some employers think twice before taking the decision to employ young people. Many prefer to take on migrant workers. However, some young people don't seem willing to do lower paid, so called menial jobs to start with
Burnham's just chasing the "yoof" votes. He's like a cringey geography teacher who ends up hitting on the six formers at the leaving prom.
To stereotype everyone because of a few, is unfair and divisive.
Great for Labour to say that,because of increase in youth wages employee Ni etc etc youth unemployment has ballooned. Migrant workers don't help either.
Yes, he is fundamentally correct however too many young people no longer see role models that prove the case and are distracted by influencers that appear to be able to create an income stream with little or no effort, view as unfair benefits given or allegedly given to those some parts of society believe to be undeserving or have found that low level crime provides a supplement to wealthfare benefits. In such an environment some young people may struggle to find a focus.
I really don’t care what Burnham thinks about anything. He’s a Globalist plant installed to destroy the UK who with his left hand distributes £Billons & his right hand pathetic morsels with the promise of more tax confiscation. He is in office but has zero power. He’s told what he can do. It’s a coup against us.
That is a lazy response. Personally all people 49 years of age who are neet for 12 months should be square bashed and put to work in uniform our streets need cleaned as does our shoreline brown fields demolished houses built we need to outside the box.
But they need positive outcomes to get them into work, they can have barriers that may stop them from working plus they have got to stop trying to earn £50,000 in their first job and they need to work hard.
YES Simply because not everyone is academic enough to go to university Instead of making up pointless uni course for the less academic young people that not only makes them feel inadequate & feeling like giving up, but also gives them no job prospects Britain needs to reintroduce Polytechnics & apprenticeships that give young people a trade that gives them jobs for the future This will also help build a base of skilled workers who can help rebuild Britain's industries
The Uk government needs to look at why there are not jobs for young people in England. There is a lack of graduate jobs and blsminv the young people or Universities doesn’t help solve it.