John Healey recalled his first job at a pub in North Yorkshire as he declared welfare reform a “moral duty” and pledged not to “write off a million young people”.
The chancellor, who grew up in rural North Yorkshire attending Lady Lumley’s School in Pickering then St Peter’s School in York, reflected on his first job during his address to the Labour Party conference.
Mr Healey said: “Conference, we all remember our first job. Mine was in a pub called the Milburn Arms in North Yorkshire.
"I washed pots and glasses. I worked for John and Betty Young. They worked me hard, but fair.
“And that job taught me the basics – about turning up on time, about getting on with others, about respecting those with more experience. It also taught me the glory of a hand-pulled pint.
“But every person, every young person should know the pride of getting their first job, and taking home their first pay check.”
Mr Healey put improving the chances of young people at the heart of his first conference speech as chancellor, tying it to the issue of welfare reform that caused major problems for former prime minister Sir Keir Starmer’s relations with backbench Labour MPs.
With about one million young people not in employment, education or training (Neet), Mr Healey said he would “help this generation move from generation jeopardy to generation hope”.
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He said: “Conference, it is not progressive to allow a bigger and bigger benefits bill, and a system which offers an income but doesn’t offer a future.
“So once again, as a Labour government, it falls to us to act, and this is more than just an economic must. This is a moral duty.
“I refuse to write off a million young people like the Tories have done.”
His pledge to tackle youth unemployment and the welfare bill comes as ministers await the final report of a review of the Neet problem by former cabinet minister Alan Milburn.
The review, commissioned by Sir Keir, is expected to set out ways of helping young people into work or training.
“While I learnt about work in the Milburn Arms, it’s Alan Milburn’s work now, for government, that lays bare the scale of the challenge young people face once again today,” Mr Healey said.
In his speech, Mr Healey announced what he called a “downpayment” on Mr Milburn’s proposals, with £100 million in funding for local apprenticeship services to be run by regional mayors.
The chancellor said the services would act as “football scouts” for apprenticeships, connecting young people with opportunities at local firms.
But wider measures could prove more challenging for Mr Healey’s already strained fiscal position.
Speaking at a conference fringe event hosted by the think tank IPPR, Mr Milburn said reducing the number of Neets would require “reprioritisation” by Whitehall.
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