If he wins the election, he will restore compulsory military service, British Prime Minister Sunak promised before the election.
According to reports, British Prime Minister and Conservative Party Leader Rishi Sunak announced on May 22 that the United Kingdom will hold a general election on July 4. On the 23rd, Sunak and Keir Starmer, leader of the opposition Labor Party, led their respective parties to launch their campaigns.
A few days ago, Sunak announced the first major policy declaration after the start of the election campaign, promising that if he is re-elected as the British Prime Minister, he will implement compulsory military service for young citizens aged 18 to "provide services in an increasingly uncertain world". Security and Opportunity”.
Under Sunak's plan, 18-year-old British citizens can choose to serve in the British active force for a year, or use one weekend per month to volunteer in social care, emergency services and other agencies in their community.
"Generation after generation of young people are not getting the opportunities or experiences they deserve, and in an increasingly uncertain world, there are forces trying to divide our society," Sunak said.
Sunak said the plan would cost £2.5 billion a year by 2029 and 2030.
Sunak also promised to increase defense spending to 2.5% of GDP by 2030.
Labor said the plan was needed because the Conservatives had "hollowed the British armed forces down to their smallest size since Napoleon". "This is another desperate, £2.5 billion, unfunded promise from the Conservatives, who have wrecked the economy, sent mortgages spiraling, and are now asking for more with impunity," Labor said.
Britain abolished compulsory military service in 1960, but the British military has been applying pressure to prepare young people for possible war. British Army Chief of Staff Patrick Saunders said in January that Britain's "pre-war generation" needed to prepare for possible future conflicts, adding that it would require a "whole-of-nation effort."
Downing Street said at the time that there was no question of reintroducing compulsory military service. Some analysts believe that Sunak's recent commitment to this issue during the election campaign shows that he will try to take back the political initiative from the Labor Party with "bold" ideas.
According to previous reports, opinion polls show that since Sunak came to power in October 2022, the opposition Labor Party has maintained a double-digit lead over the Conservative Party. The latest poll by the British polling agency You-View showed that as of the 16th of this month, the support rate for the Conservative Party was only 20%, and the support rate for the Labor Party was 47%.
According to the latest data from YouGov, a polling agency, only 10% of British young people aged 18-24 support one-year compulsory military service. Among those 65 and older, the figure was 46%. They would not be affected by the measure but are a core demographic of the Conservative Party.