International tensions are high and UK army numbers are low, sparking fears that conscription could be reintroduced if World War III were to break out. While Prime Minister Keir Starmer has stated that 'nobody is talking about conscription,' some experts warn it may become necessary.
Former MP and ex-British Army officer Dr Mike Martin told the Big Issue last year: 'Obviously if we got into a big war, we’d have conscription straight away... you still need people to occupy villages, hold ground, and all the rest of it.' General Sir Patrick Sanders also warned the Government last year that they should be preparing Brits for conscription 'within six years' if Vladimir Putin continues to threaten warfare.
According to reports, the five groups most likely to be called up are: young men aged 21 and 22, who were conscripted even before WWII; single people without children, to avoid disrupting families; women, who have never been drafted into combat but took on nursing, munitions and auxiliary roles in WWII; former soldiers and reservists with existing military skills; and older people, as at the end of WWII those up to age 51 were conscripted and those aged 52 to 60 took on civil defence roles.
A recent YouGov poll found that almost three quarters (72%) of Brits support women serving on the frontlines, suggesting that any future conscription could include women in combat roles.
