Sunak's plan to make 18-year-olds serve in the army draws attention to UK election

[New Sancai Compilation First Edition] Britain's ruling Conservative Party said on May 26 that if the party wins the July 4 national election, all 18-year-olds in the UK must serve one year of compulsory military service or civil service.

Chancellor Rishi Sunak has pledged to reinstate some form of national service for the first time in more than 60 years in a bid to inject energy into his campaign after a rocky start.

Britain implemented a conscription system for men and some women during World War II, and forced men to serve 18 months of compulsory military service from 1947 to 1960.

Under the scheme, a small number of 18-year-olds - an estimated 30,000 out of 700,000 - will serve in the military for 12 months, working in areas such as logistics or cyber defense. The rest work one weekend a month for charities, community groups or organizations such as hospitals, police and fire services.

Sunak said the scheme would help "build a shared sense of purpose among our young people and restore pride in our country."

It's unclear how this will be enforced. Home Secretary James Cleverly said no one would be forced into military service. Cleverly said the main goal of the new plan is not to build military strength but to create "a place where people mix with people outside their own communities, with people from different backgrounds, different religions, different income levels." society".

The Conservatives estimate the cost of the National Service program at £2.5 billion a year. They said part of the cost would be allocated £1.5bn from the UK's Shared Prosperity Fund, which is set up in 2022 to revitalize disadvantaged communities.

Labor said the National Service announcement was a "desperate, unfunded £2.5bn commitment" by a "bankrupt" party.

Former Labor home secretary Alan Johnson said the Tory plans amounted to "compulsory volunteering" and predicted "it will never happen".

Voters will elect MPs to fill all 650 seats in the House of Commons. The leader of the party that is able to secure a majority in the House of Commons, either individually or jointly, becomes Prime Minister.

(Compiled by: Wang Jimin)

(Editor: Jiang Qiming)

(Source of the article: Compiled and published by New Sancai)