Conservatives want to bring back compulsory national service

The Conservatives plan to reintroduce twelve months of mandatory national service if elected, offering 30,000 full-time military placements or part-time volunteering opportunities for 18-year-olds. Prime Minister Rishi Sunak believes this will foster a "national spirit" post-pandemic. Labour criticized the £2.5bn plan as "desperate" and "unfunded". The initiative aims to provide work experience and divert young people from unemployment and crime. Funding would partly come from diverting £1.5bn from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and £1bn from tax measures. Military conscription, absent in Northern Ireland, ceased in 1960. Critics highlight cuts to the armed forces, while Sunak argues for a renewed sense of pride and purpose.