In an initiatve building on the “Youth Guarantee”, announced last November, any young person who has been out of work, education, or training for more than 18 months would be given a paid work placement, bringing them “real work, practical experience, new skills”, she said. The Labour faithful greeted this with cheers and applause, having been reminded of the Blair government’s New Deal, which, Ms Reeves said, had “supported hundreds of thousands of young people back into work”. “Young people to lose benefits if they refuse job offers”, said a Times headline; “Young people could be stripped of benefits if they turn down job after 18 months”, said the Telegraph.