UK Conservatives plan to reintroduce twelve months of mandatory national service if they win the general election. This initiative would offer 18-year-olds the choice between 30,000 full-time military placements or weekend community service volunteering.
Prime Minister Rishi Sunak believes this will foster a “national spirit” similar to that seen during the pandemic.
The estimated £2.5bn cost has been criticized by Labour as “desperate” and “unfunded.”
The program aims to launch a pilot in September 2025, with detailed planning by a Royal Commission. Military placements would focus on cyber security, logistics, procurement, and civil response, while non-military volunteering would involve 25 days with services like the fire department, police, and NHS.
Sunak argues that national service would offer young people valuable work experience, help them develop real-world skills, and steer those at risk of unemployment or crime towards positive contributions to society. Funding would come from the UK’s Shared Prosperity Fund and measures against tax avoidance.
Labour criticized the plan as reminiscent of David Cameron’s “Big Society” and accused the Conservatives of economic mismanagement and reducing armed forces’ numbers.
Liberal Democrats echoed these concerns, stressing the importance of reversing cuts to maintain a robust professional military force. National service, introduced post-World War II, ended in 1960. Several European countries currently maintain conscription systems.
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