In the first big surprise of the General Election campaign, the Prime Minister has said he will bring back National Service if the Conservatives are re-elected. Although not all 18 year-olds would have to do it – they could opt to do community service for one weekend a month instead – so it isn’t as bold a policy as it seems at first glance. The Telegraph has more.
Rishi Sunak has vowed to bring back National Service for 18-year-olds to create a “renewed sense of pride in our country” in his first major policy announcement of the election campaign.
Under the mandatory scheme, school leavers will have to either enrol on a 12-month military placement or spend one weekend each month volunteering in their community.
The policy pledge comes after Mr Sunak surprised the country with the announcement of the July 4 snap poll on Wednesday.
Unveiling the National Service scheme, Mr Sunak said it was aimed at instilling a “shared sense of purpose” in youngsters in the face of forces which were “trying to divide our society”.
The Conservatives hope the policy will mark a clear dividing line between them and Labour as they seek to present themselves as the only party that can be trusted with the UK’s security and defence.
Earlier this year, the head of the Army said that Britain should train a “citizen army” ready to fight a war on land in the future.
Writing on X, formerly Twitter, on Saturday evening, Mr Sunak warned that “you, your family and our country are all at risk if Labour win”.
The £2.5 billion National Service scheme will see school leavers apply for a year-long placement in the Armed Forces or the UK’s cyber defences where they will gain experience in logistics, cyber security, procurement and civil response operations such as flood defences.
The placements, which are open to 30,000 youngsters, will involve residential stays at army barracks or other military facilities around the country.
The volunteering route will see 18-year-olds spend one weekend each month working in the fire services, police, the NHS as well as local charities tackling loneliness and supporting older, isolated people.
National Service was introduced in the UK in 1949, with all physically fit males aged 17 and 21 having to serve in the Armed Forces initially for 18 months, but lengthened to two years in 1950.
They then remained on the reserve list for another four years and during this time they could be called on to serve with their units but on no more than three occasions for a maximum of 20 days. During the 1950s national servicemen took part in various military operations in Malaya, Korea, Cyprus and Kenya.
National Service officially ended in 1960 although periods of deferred service still had to be completed. The last national servicemen were discharged in 1963.
Worth reading in full.
Stop Press: Pollster James Johnson says the reason Sunak has announced this policy is to win back Tory voters who have defected to Reform, pointing out that the policy polls well with Reform voters.
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