British PM Rishi Sunak vows to bring back compulsory national service

Everyone aged over 18 would be expected to serve their country for a year under a proposed new scheme for compulsory national service.

The Conservative Party in Britain, otherwise known as the Tories, will bring back compulsory National Service if it wins the election, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak has vowed.

Every British 18-year-old man or woman will be expected to serve their country for a year under the ­proposed scheme.

Teens will be able to choose between two options — a full-time placement in the Armed Forces, or volunteering with charities or civic groups at weekends.

A Royal Commission will be set up to look at how to roll out the scheme.

But The Sun on Sunday understands those who refuse to take part will not face criminal sanctions.

“This is a great ­country but generations of young people have not had the opportunities or experience they deserve — and there are forces trying to divide our society in this uncertain world,” Mr Sunak said.

“I have a clear plan to address this and secure our future. I will bring in a new ­version of National Service to create a shared sense of ­purpose among our young people and a renewed sense of pride in our country.”

The PM announced the radical pledge after warning the world is more dangerous now than at any point since the Cold War.

Rishi Sunak has vowed to bring back national service. Picture: Molly Darlington/WPA Pool/Getty Images

Meanwhile, the Army is at its smallest size since the Napoleonic Wars 200 years ago.

Defence Secretary Grant Shapps has said Britain is in a “pre-war world” and must be prepared for conflicts involving Russia, China, Iran and North Korea.

And Home Secretary James Cleverly said National Service will help bottle the “Blitz Spirit” we saw during the pandemic.

Writing exclusively in The Sun on Sunday, he said the plan would deliver a triple-whammy boost to Britain — protecting the country, training young people, and forging a new sense of patriotism and civic pride.

“This compulsory National Service will forge shared values, pull us together as a nation and develop critical skills of our younger generations,” he said.

“Conservatives know what a great country we are, the best country in the world, in fact, but we need to boost our resilience and secure ourselves against future shocks. We also need to protect British values, of generosity, duty and patriotism, because it is our values that make us great.”

The Sun on Sunday understands teenagers serving under the scheme will not be sent to active war zones.

National Service will build on the sense of civic pride unleashed by The Sun on Sunday’s Jabs Army campaign to roll out the Covid vaccine, Mr Cleverly added.

Britain is in a ‘pre-war world’ and must be prepared for conflicts. Picture: Henry Nicholls/WPA Pool/Getty Images

“I hope we never have to confront another global pandemic, but without question the wider security challenges we face are growing,” he said.

The radical manifesto pledge is the most eye-catching announcement of the election so far.

There have been growing calls for a return to National Service in the wake of Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine.

The head of the Army said Britain should train a “citizen army” to be ready to fight on land.

Speaking earlier this year, General Sir Patrick Sanders said, “Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars — citizen armies win them.”

The British Armed Forces has seen personnel numbers shrink by a third since 2000, according to the Ministry of Defence.

Britain is woefully underprepared and could not fight a “high-intensity” war, MPs on the Defence Committee warned.

Army numbers have plummeted from 109,600 in 2000 to 76,950 last year.

The navy shrank from 42,800 to 32,590. And the RAF went from 54,600 to 31,940.

Israeli soldiers patrol the Gaza border. Picture: iStock

Sweden, Switzerland and Israel already have National Service.

In France, President Emmanuel Macron has announced plans to bring back National Service.

Under the Tory plan, every 18-year-old will either join up with a branch of the Armed Forces, or a cyber defence team, for a year.

Or they can volunteer for one weekend per month at a charity or a community group, including organisations such as the police, fire or ambulance services.

Ministers are also open to letting older adults voluntarily do it.

The first pilot will be open for applications from September 2025 — before rolling it out nationally to everyone by the end of the parliament, 2029-30.

It is expected to cost £2.5 billion ($4.8 billion) a year and will be paid for with cash from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund — created to help level-up Britain, and by cracking down on tax avoidance.

It comes amid alarm at a rise in young Brits not in work or education.

Around 850,000 18 to 24-year-olds are not in education, work or training, up 20,000 in a year, according to the Office for National Statistics.

The British Armed Forces has seen personnel numbers shrink by a third since 2000. Picture: iStock

It is the highest since 2016 — and was driven by young men.

Britain introduced National Service in 1947 as the country recovered from the Second World War.

Able-bodied men aged 18 to 21 were called up to help the nation maintain its diminishing Empire around the world.

They also helped provide the Army with a large garrison force in post-war Germany and a smaller one in Japan.

National Service was scrapped in 1960.

The PM’s plan comes as Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour Party is more than 20 points ahead in the polls.

The Tories are battling to close the gap by making the race about national security — saying only they can be trusted to arm and defend Britain and stand by its allies.

Mr Sunak has also vowed to hike defence spending to 2.5 per cent of GDP by 2030.

Labour has said it wants to hit 2.5 per cent only when it can be afforded.

This article originally appeared on The Sun and was reproduced with permission