Rachel Reeves, the shadow work and pensions secretary, insisted in an interview with the Today programme on Thursday morning that the policy was not punitive but was designed to get people the skills they needed to secure a job.
She said: "The youth allowance that will replace JSA [jobseeker's allowance] will be paid at £57 a week, which is the same as young person's JSA but it will be means tested on parental income. It is tapered off between £20,000 and £42,000.
"It is treating people in further education in the same way as we treat people in higher education. It is not saying all young people are required to go back and get this training; it is if people don't have level 3 qualifications – the equivalent of an A-level."
The removal of JSA for those with skills below level 3 would affect seven out of 10 of the 18-to-21-year-olds currently claiming JSA, and initially save £65m
http://www.theguardian.com/politics/...ng-ed-miliband