NEW DELHI: As the UK gears up for General Elections, PM Rishi Sunak in his poll promise vowed to re-introduce mandatory national service if Tories win the elections, BBC reported.
The Conservative Party said that the 18-year-olds would have the option of entering the military full-time or volunteering one weekend each month to perform community service.
“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,” Sunak said.
“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”, he said.
The Conservatives stated that the measure will serve to redirect young people who are unemployed or not in education or training, as well as those who are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, away from “lives of unemployment and crime”.
According to the party, the move would “ignite a passion for a future career in healthcare, public service, charity or the armed forces”, BBC reported.
Calling the move “another desperate £2.5 billion unfunded commitment from a Tory Party”, Labour Party 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”.
The Conservative Party said that the 18-year-olds would have the option of entering the military full-time or volunteering one weekend each month to perform community service.
“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,” Sunak said.
“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”, he said.
The Conservatives stated that the measure will serve to redirect young people who are unemployed or not in education or training, as well as those who are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, away from “lives of unemployment and crime”.
According to the party, the move would “ignite a passion for a future career in healthcare, public service, charity or the armed forces”, BBC reported.
Calling the move “another desperate £2.5 billion unfunded commitment from a Tory Party”, Labour Party 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”.