The Prime Minister has been urged to think about reintroducing conscription by former British Army commanders as the global situation over Ukraine worsens – here’s what you should know
The UK government has been urged to consider bringing back conscription – leaving many people wondering whether they would be called up to fight.
Britain’s dwindling numbers of soldiers have sparked alarm among experts in national security, with one former commander warning that the country would be effectively defenceless were Vladimir Putin to launch a direct attack. Following major cuts to the MoD that began in 2010, just over 72,000 regular forces personnel are currently serving in the British Army – the lowest number since the Napoleonic Wars.
One touted solution to this shortfall has been to reintroduce conscription, meaning ordinary citizens would be drafted in for compulsory military training and placed on ‘standby’ for future deployment. Many other countries in Europe do it, including Denmark, Norway, and Sweden, but the UK hasn’t had any form of conscription since National Service ended in 1963. Here, we answer some questions about conscription and what it would mean for you:
How old would conscripts be?
When Britain introduced conscription in the months leading up to World War II, single men aged between 20 and 22 were required to undertake six months’ military training, resulting in 240,000 being called up. But when war was declared following Adolf Hitler’s invasion of Poland, the age range was immediately widened to any man aged 18 to 41. Exemptions were given to men who were too unfit medically, or who worked in vital industries like baking, farming, and medicine, which were vital to the war effort.
By the end of 1941, women and all childless widows between the ages of 20 and 30 were required to do work related to the war effort, while men aged up to 51 were called up for military service. Even men aged 52 to 60 were required to take part in “some form of military service”.
After the war, National Service required all healthy males aged 17 to 21 to serve in the armed forces for 18 months, along with a four-year reserve period. This typically involved training at a barracks based within the UK.
Would women also be conscripted?
The UK has never drafted in women to serve in direct combat – but recent polling suggests the public thinks that this should change if World War III ever broke out. A YouGov poll found that 72% supported women being conscripted as well as men, in the event of the measure ever being reintroduced.
What if I refused?
Despite the dire warnings of the world now being in a “pre-war” state, the same YouGov poll also found that many young people would be unwilling to fight for their country – even if Britain was about to be invaded. Around 38% of under-40s said they would refuse to serve in the armed forces if World War III broke out, and 30% would not serve even if the UK faced “imminent invasion”. In World War II, ‘conscientious objectors’ who were within the conscription age but refused to fight were taken to court, and many were given mandatory jobs to contribute to the war effort in other ways.
Why are people saying we should bring in conscription?
The shaky attempts by Donald Trump to achieve peace in Ukraine have left many concerned that Vladimir Putin will feel emboldened to attack Europe again, potentially dragging the UK into a major war. As the US weakens its support for Ukraine and Russia rejects ceasefire deals, former top brass have warned that Britain must prepare to conscript if things escalate – or risk surrendering quickly.
Colonel Hamish De Bretton Gordon, who used to lead the British Army’s Joint Chemical, Biological, Radiological and Nuclear Regiment, told the Sun: “The government should rule nothing out at the moment. I can’t see how an army of just 70,000 is going to be able to deter Russia in the long term and maintain the mass it needs. If you look at the size of our regular Army, it’s tiny and they’d find it difficult to deploy a brigade for any period of time”. Sir Richard Shirreff, a former NATO Deputy Supreme Allied Commander, meanwhile said that the British government should be prepared to “think the unthinkable” and begin a “selective” form of conscription.
What has the Government said?
The Government has said there are no plans for any form of conscription in the UK. Prime Minister Keir Starmer told the News Agents podcast on Thursday that “nobody is talking about conscription” and that such a proposal has “never crossed my lips”.
