Only 11 per cent of British Generation Z – those aged 18 to 27 – would be willing to fight for their country in a war, according to polling carried out by YouGov and Public First for The Times. The same survey found that two-fifths of young people said they would never take up arms, underscoring the recruitment crisis facing the Armed Forces. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer has indicated he would be prepared to send British troops to Ukraine as part of a peacekeeping force, while General Sir Richard Shirreff, a former Nato deputy supreme allied commander, has called for the possible reintroduction of conscription in response to Donald Trump’s refusal to help Western allies.
Former Conservative leader Sir Iain Duncan Smith, who served as a captain in the Scots Guards, argued the polling could be “over-read”. He drew a parallel with the Oxford Union debate in the 1930s, where a motion against fighting for king and country was passed, yet many of that generation later volunteered for war. “When push comes to shove and your country is under threat… you will defend them,” he told The i Paper. He also called for the military to take back responsibility for recruitment from Government contractor Serco, which won a £1.5 billion deal for Armed Forces hiring.
However, young people interviewed by The i Paper expressed deep reluctance. Zia Khan, 18, a student, said he would prefer a political solution and did not understand why he should risk his life in a war elsewhere. Daniel Kelly, also 18, said: “I don’t feel enough national pride to die for my country.” Gabriel Trive, 22, described conscription as an alien concept and said he would not feel convinced to fight for politicians he did not trust. Half of young people in a separate survey said they believed Britain is a racist country and stuck in the past.
Labour MP Calvin Bailey, a member of the Commons Defence Committee who served 24 years in the RAF, offered a different perspective. He believes young people understand modern threats “sometimes better than the rest of us”. The MP for Leyton and Wanstead has advocated for greater diversity in the Armed Forces and previously spoke of his close friendship with the brother of Stephen Lawrence.
