The Prime Minister said in his first policy announcement of the general election campaign that he will introduce mandatory national service.
Should Rishi Sunak win the general election he will introduce a new mandatory national service for those aged 18-years old.
The teenagers will be provided with a choice of a 12-month full time placement within the armed forces or the option will be to volunteer for one weekend a month for a full year.
The Home Secretary told Sky News that for those that refuse national service there will be “no criminal sanctions.”
He said, “There’s going to be no criminal sanctions, nobody’s going to jail over this.
“This is about dealing with what we know to be the case, which is social fragmentation.
“Too many young people live in a bubble within their own communities. They don’t mix with people of different religions, they don’t mix with different viewpoints.”
The Prime Minister said on Saturday, “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 increasingly uncertain world.
“I have a clear plan to address this and secure our future. I will bring in a new model of national service to create a shared sense of purpose among our young people and a renewed sense of pride in our country.
“This new, mandatory national service will provide life-changing opportunities for our young people, offering them the chance to learn real world skills, do new things and contribute to their community and our country.”
A Labour spokesperson said: “This is not a plan – it’s a review which could cost billions and is only needed because the Tories hollowed out the armed forces to their smallest size since Napoleon.
“Britain has had enough of the Conservatives, who are bankrupt of ideas, and have no plans to end 14 years of chaos. It’s time to turn the page and rebuild Britain with Labour.”
Liberal Democrat defence spokesperson Richard Foord MP said: “If the Conservatives were serious about defence, they would reverse their damaging cuts to our world class professional armed forces, instead of decimating them, with swingeing cuts to the number of our regular service personnel.
“Our armed forces were once the envy of the world. This Conservative government has cut troop numbers and is planning more cuts to the size of the Army.
“This would be far better spent reversing Conservative cuts to troop numbers.”
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