PROJECTIONS indicate unemployment will peak in 2010 at 2.8 million with young people comprising one-third of that.

However, in the face of the worst global recession for 70 years, there are still more 18 to 24-year-olds in work now than in 1997 when Labour came to power.

Then, there were seven times as many young unemployed workers than today.

Compare this with Tory governments under Margaret Thatcher which wrote off generations of young people.

Labour is working to prevent long-term youth unemployment becoming an issue through initiatives such as Backing Young Britain, the Future Jobs Fund and September Guarantee.

When the UK emerged from the last recession, under the Tories, our manufacturing base was emaciated and the economy over-reliant on the City and the financial services sector. The Tories have yet to acknowledge that it was at least in part their failure that sowed the seeds of casino banking and reckless risk-taking which resulted in the financial services sector meltdown.

The public should be aware that given the chance David Cameron has made it clear he would repeat the same economic policies that had such a devastating impact during the recessions of the Thirties and Eighties. Their plans could turn recession into a slump and send unemployment soaring.

Grahame Morris, Seaham, Co Durham.