Analysis of mentoring schemes around the world, conducted by the Centre for Economic and Social Inclusion (CESI), found "there is no consensus that mentoring has a significant positive effect on mentees".

BBC: A popular idea still on probation

CESI, which said young people in the UK were facing a similar situation to the 1980s recession, found that five of the six Olympic boroughs had the highest proportion of 16 to 24-year-olds in London claiming the allowance.

BBC: London youth unemployment jumps by 26,000 in three years