Government abandoning young people to unemployment

12.00.00am UTC (GMT +0000) Wed 9th Jul 2008

Commenting on today's Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) report which revealed the employment rate of 16 to 24 year olds fell to 55% last year, Liberal Democrat Shadow Work and Pensions Secretary, Jenny Willott said:

"The Government is in danger of leaving behind a forgotten underclass. With unemployment rising in the UK, these figures are likely to get worse.

"We cannot afford to repeat the mistakes of the Tories in the 90's and abandon another generation of young people to a future of unemployment and poverty."