In the first policy statement of the Conservatives’ general election campaign, Rishi Sunak declared on Saturday that if his party wins in July, he would impose a new type of forced National Service for 18-year-olds.
They would be offered the option to volunteer for one weekend a month for a year or to be placed in the military full-time for a duration of 12 months.
The news was made just two days after Dr. Andrew Murrison, the minister of defense, informed the House of Commons that there are “no plans” to bring back National Service, citing concerns that it would “damage morale, recruitment, and retention and consume professional military and naval resources.”
