Alan A

Meet Nikki. She’s a mum in her fifties who came to see me. Since her job in a nursery became all too much, she’s started receiving universal credit. Without qualifications and, as she put it, being ‘no good at computers’, she's struggling to find another job. But that’s not why she came to speak to me. Her real worry was her son, Jack, who signed on the moment he turned 18. He's got autism and ADHD, but Nikki wants him to work. She's frustrated the state is paying him money to stay at home. She desperately wants the job centre to get on his case. But there’s no sign of that. So, Jack is literally left to his own devices, gaming in his bedroom most of the time. Who would want that life for their child? Stories like Jack's are increasingly common. It’s a disaster. Hundreds of thousands of young people are setting out on a life on benefits. Only the Conservatives have a detailed plan to put an end to this and help young people into work. We’ll halve National Insurance for employers hiring 21 to 24-year-olds, create 100,000 more apprenticeships, and introduce a Get to Work programme to stop young people going straight from education onto benefits.