A British military historian has suggested that if the UK introduced conscription, it would likely target unemployed graduates first, while people working in certain essential industries could be exempt.
Author and historian David Swift told the Express: "Today, since there is such an urgent need to rebuild Britain's defence industries and industrial capacity, I would expect that people in these important occupations would be exempt. Or even that people could be 'conscripted' into working in these industries."
Unemployed graduates targeted
He continued: "Military conscription would target unemployed graduates - this would be very popular with lots of people."
Conscription refers to when a government enforces a mandatory enlistment of individuals into military service. Over the past 126 years there have only been two instances of conscription in the UK: the first was between 1916 and 1920, and the second was between 1939 and 1960.
WW2 exemptions
The ways conscription was used in WW2 could go some way in showing exactly what it could look like in the present day. In the 1940s, it was bakers, farmers, doctors, nurses and engineers who were spared conscription. It can also show the rough age ranges that would be targeted for both men and women.
Fears of a global conflict have never been greater. Vladimir Putin's war against Ukraine shows no signs of abating, while the Iran conflict continues to affect multiple countries – with its leadership even directly threatening Donald Trump and his family. Russia, meanwhile, has ramped up its threats to the UK following the Armed Forces giving Volodymyr Zelenskyy's men the blueprints to build its own Storm Shadow missiles. One of Putin's closest advisers warned he could not "100% exclude" the prospect of "semi-military" action against British facilities. Prime Minister Andy Burnham has even admitted the country faces an "inevitable" Russian attack while a UK security source admitted Russia is "preparing for something".
Government position
In the event a conflict with the UK does break out, the country may have to enact conscription to bulk up its Armed Forces, particularly after a retired Army major warned the military is in its worst state for more than 70 years.
The chances of conscription, at the moment, seem unlikely. In 2024, the former head of the British Army General Sir Patrick Sanders suggested the UK should lay the foundations for "national mobilisation" and a "citizen army" in the wake of the Russian threat. But a spokesperson for then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak disagreed and said they had "no intention" of introducing conscription. In March 2025, Cabinet Minister Pat McFadden reiterated that position.
Instead, successive UK governments have argued that a highly trained, professional armed force staffed by volunteers is the most effective way to defend the country.
