As the United Kingdom gears up for intense general elections, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak promises to bring back mandatory national service in his future conservative government for 18-year-olds.
“Uncertain times call for a clear plan and bold action to chart a course to a secure future,” said Sunak.
Opportunity. Community. Security.
This is why I would introduce a bold new model of National Service 👇 pic.twitter.com/bNXTLwwBXV
— Rishi Sunak (@RishiSunak) May 26, 2024
The prime minister announced the plan during his campaign to get re-elected as the majority party. According to the plan, Sunak explained that every 18-year-old will spend “full-time military commission over 12 months or with one weekend per month volunteering in roles within the community like delivering prescriptions and food to infirm people, or in search and rescue.”
Sunak explained that this policy would create a stronger national culture and make the country more secure.
In practice, a royal commission would be set up to design the new national service programme, leading to a pilot programme to open for applications in September 2025. However, it would be backed in law by a National Service Act.
Tories blame the Pandemic
The conservatives supported the scheme and claimed that COVID-19 had shown the importance of taking part in national service.
They claimed that the earlier schemes weren’t equal to conscription, hence the party insisted that the scheme is “completely essential.”
“Only by nurturing our shared culture and fostering a sense of duty can we preserve our nation and values for decades to come. This is an investment in both the character of young people and our security,” it said.
The party also pointed out that a similar scheme was successful in Sweden and claimed that 80 per cent of young people who completed national service in the Nordic nation said that they would recommend it to their peers as well.
Labour’s criticism
The Labour Party criticised the policy and called it an uncosted policy.
“This is another desperate, £2.5bn unfunded commitment from a Tory party which already crashed the economy, sending mortgages rocketing, and now they’re spoiling for more,” said a party spokesperson.
“This is not a plan – it’s a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the armed forces to their smallest size since Napoleon. Britain has had enough of the Conservatives, who are bankrupt of ideas and have no plans to end 14 years of chaos. It’s time to …rebuild Britain with Labour,” the spokesperson furthered.
The Tories explained that the scheme will be partially funded through a £1 billion tax avoidance clampdown and £1.5bn currently spent on the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
Labour figures also privately accused the Tories of making 18-year-olds fix the problems the government had created, by boosting numbers in the military, helping the NHS and repairing infrastructure.
