Young people hand CVs to a cardboard Burnham in climate jobs protest

With a million young people out of work, education or training, campaigners want the new prime minister to put them to work on the climate crisis.

More than 50 young people in hi-vis vests handed their CVs to a cardboard cut-out of Andy Burnham outside the Labour Party conference in Liverpool this morning.

The Green New Deal Rising activists want the prime minister to tackle youth unemployment and the climate crisis together. They are calling for a youth climate jobs guarantee and a National Climate and Nature Service.

About one million 16- to 24-year-olds are not in education, employment or training. Campaigners say this costs the UK an estimated £125bn.

Labour MPs who back the campaign spoke at the rally, alongside young people directly affected. Speakers said hundreds of thousands of young people face barriers to work and training. At the same time, the UK urgently needs workers to insulate homes, expand public transport, restore nature and build renewable energy infrastructure.

The protest came at the start of Burnham’s first conference as prime minister. It also comes ahead of the second phase of the Milburn Review, expected later this autumn. Burnham has said he is “on a mission” to cut the number of young people not in education, employment or training.

Bethany Lee, 26, from Devon, said: “For me and my friends, sending in applications has become a full-time job. But I have always known I wanted to work in the environment sector. Our generation deserves a decent chance at getting a well-paid, secure job, in the sectors we have trained for, and not just unpaid work experience stacking shelves.

“That's why I am here outside the Labour party conference today, with over 50 other young people, calling on the government to implement a youth climate jobs guarantee and tackle the youth unemployment crisis and climate crisis simultaneously.

“I did everything right. I studied hard, I went to a top university, I packed my CV with relevant voluntary experience, but I still can't get a job, pay my rent or bills, or even consider starting a family.”

Amira Campbell, 24, a campaigner at Green New Deal Rising, said: “Young people are being told to get qualifications, work hard and build their futures, only to graduate into a labour market that offers them no opportunities. We’re a generation that has been let down.

“At the same time, we continue to watch the disastrous impacts of the climate crisis at home and globally. We know there is vital work that needs doing, from insulating homes to building clean energy infrastructure. A youth climate jobs guarantee and a National Climate and Nature Service could give young people secure, meaningful work and the chance to use our skills to build a better future.”