There is one issue I have returned to time and again over the past year – youth unemployment. And for good reason. Youth unemployment is now at a 10-year high, surpassing Covid-era levels.

The Government appears to have recognised the scale of the problem and has launched a ‘Youth Guarantee’. On paper, it is ambitious: £2.5 billion to support nearly one million young people aged 16 to 24 into work, training or education.

At its heart is a jobs guarantee, offering eligible young people a six-month, government-funded role of up to 25 hours a week after 18 months on Universal Credit. Ministers say there will be 90,000 places available by the autumn.

Alongside this are plans to expand youth hubs across the country in partnership with Jobcentres and provide financial support for employers taking on apprentices.

Yet even here, there are concerns. As I have argued in Parliament, reducing the minimum apprenticeship length to just eight months will no doubt increase take-up, but it risks undermining the quality and value of those opportunities.

Crucially, the rollout of the Youth Guarantee is limited. Initial delivery will begin in just six areas, none of them covering East Hampshire.

But there is a deeper problem at the heart of all this. Many of these interventions would be less necessary if the Government had not made it harder and more expensive to hire young people in the first place.

Changes brought forward in the Employment Rights Act add cost and complexity for employers at a time when confidence is already fragile. Policies such as restricting zero-hours contracts may be well intentioned, but they risk removing a crucial entry point into the labour market.

For many young people, a first job is not a permanent contract. It is a few shifts a week in a café, a pub or a local attraction to fit around their studies. These roles provide more than income. They build confidence, teach responsibility and offer that all-important first line on a CV. Remove these opportunities and you risk shutting the door before it has even been opened.

I welcome the fact that the Government is acknowledging the challenge. But we must be honest – this will not be enough. Nearly 950,000 young people are currently not in education, employment or training. Behind that figure are individuals facing rejection after rejection, struggling to gain a foothold in the world of work.

If we are serious about tackling youth unemployment, we must do more than create new schemes. We must create the conditions in which businesses can grow, hire and invest in the next generation. Without that, even the most ambitious guarantees will struggle to deliver.

And it is young people who will pay the price.