The work and pensions secretary has backed the idea that the government should legally guarantee young people help to get into employment.
Pat McFadden told the BBC that job support should be given a “legislative underpinning”, adding the level of assistance on offer was currently “vague”.
McFadden also confirmed that some current benefit claimants would see their current entitlement to benefits reduced when they are reassessed.
But his Conservative counterpart Helen Whately said the idea of legally guaranteeing support “doesn’t make sense” and ministers should focus instead on reducing taxes paid by employers.
It comes ahead of a long-awaited review by former Labour cabinet minister Alan Milburn, which will recommend on Tuesday that under-25s should be guaranteed job placements or training to help them find permanent work.
His report is also expected to say that under-25s should no longer be able to claim the health element of UK-wide universal credit – or personal independence payment (Pip), the main disability benefit in England and Wales.
Some could be eligible for a new “additional cost allowance” to cover day-to-day costs related to health conditions, under the plans.
Speaking to Sunday with Laura Kuenssberg, Milburn said the government should divert money away from the benefits system to boost work support, adding he wanted to see “billions” extra spent on help over the next decade.
However, the idea of reducing the entitlement of existing benefit claimants could prove controversial among Labour MPs, who scuppered a previous benefits-cutting plan under Sir Keir Starmer last year.
Milburn said the reduced entitlement for some should be accompanied by a new “duty on government” to provide jobs support to young people, such as apprenticeships, college places, job coaching, or a job.
He added that the temporary nature of previous job support schemes, including the Kickstart programme during the Covid pandemic, meant that they had been less effective as reducing long-term joblessness.
How the new guarantee would work in practice is not yet clear, with McFadden adding it would have to be “carefully” drafted.
Although local councils have some specific legal duties, including in the areas of child protection and homelessness, duties on central government currently tend to be much broader, such as operating a “comprehensive” health service.
