The Conservative party leader said that Labour’s plan allows for too many serious offenders to be freed early
Andy Burnham has been criticised by Reform UK, and some figures at GB News, for not mentioning small boats during his first week in power. In his pooled TV clip this morning the interviewer, who has to ask questions on behalf of all UK broadcasters, posed the GB News question, asking Burnham about the almost 900 people who arrived on small boats in the past week.
Burnham said:
The home secretary [Shabana Mahmood] has brought forward a very rigorous plan in relation to this, and let’s remember, the numbers can fluctuate but overall boat crossings are down, down quite significantly year on year. So that does suggest that the plan is working.
The public wants to see control being exerted, and while we’ve made progress, there is more to do, and I recognise that completely.
But the trend is down, and the number of people being removed is up, so the figures are pointing in a better direction. But there is much more to do.
The changes the PM is announcing today are very welcome. They are a big step in the right direction and consistent with the findings of my review. A whole system reset is needed across health, welfare and labour market policy as well as in education and skills. I know the PM recognises this and my final report will outline the further changes that are needed.
Obviously, the trend is rising at the moment, so first thing I’ve got to do is to stop that rise.
It’s hard to say and put a firm date on it at the moment when you can say there are fewer than now, but certainly I am completely on a mission with relation to this. I cannot accept the situation where we have so many young people in their 20s on benefits. It’s just not right for them.
It would be wrong to blame the young people when we have an education system that doesn’t set them up properly, where some struggle to find opportunities at 16, where work experience and work placements aren’t there for them. We’ve got to put those building blocks in place, and then, in time, that number will come down.
And I will commit, in my time in office, to get the number of young people who are not in education, employment, and training down. I will commit to that. When precisely I can get there is a hard thing to say right now.
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