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Sunak promises to bring back national service for 18-year-olds

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Wyllow3 Sun 26-May-24 00:07:15

www.theguardian.com/politics/article/2024/may/25/sunak-promises-to-bring-back-national-service-for-18-year-olds

"Rishi Sunak announced last night that a future Conservative government would bring back mandatory national service last night, as he attempted to reignite his election campaign after an error-strewn start.

Under the plan, which appeared to be his latest attempt to reduce Tory losses by winning over voters drifting to Reform UK, the prime minister said that every 18-year-old would have to spend time in a competitive, full-time military commission or spend one weekend a month volunteering in “civil resilience”."

Daily Mail also presented the plan
www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-13460033/prime-minister-military-service-school-leavers-12-months-general-election.html

"The plan to reintroduce National Service was drawn up in secret, with only Mr Sunak's close advisers – understood to include former Tory leader William Hague – privy to the details.

In their confidential 40-page plan, the advisers argued that the growing international threats posed by countries such as Russia and China needed to be addressed by beefing up our Armed Forces"

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Callistemon21 Tue 28-May-24 23:16:08

This government haven't got a clue
One or two might have as they are ex-service people but I think Sunak might have made this up on the spur of the moment.

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GrannyRose15 Thu 30-May-24 18:25:50

It’s a good idea in principle but as ever the details will make it a disaster. It’s also not the sort of thing that should be pulled out of a hat with five weeks to go to a GE. We need a national debate about it first.

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M0nica Fri 31-May-24 08:29:13

maddyone I am in absolute agreement. I knew someone who was a young, 18, territorial army member, who was sent to do six months service in Bosnia, saw terrible things and later had a breakdown.

Interestingly, he later joined the police force. He was like many young soldiers attracted to army life as an excape from chaotic family conditions, and/or because they somehow recognised their need to operate in a structured environment.

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