Kemi Badenoch has ruled out reintroducing conscription to the UK if the Conservative Party wins the next general election, saying mandatory service would force young people who have no business in the armed forces to serve.
Speaking at a press conference, the Tory leader was asked whether the UK should bring back conscription. She replied: “Mandatory (is) the issue.”
Badenoch added: “It's not having a citizen service that we're against, but making it mandatory and forcing young people to do it means that you'll get a lot of people who have no business being in our armed forces being conscripted into that.”
No support for mandatory service
“So no, we do not support conscription. What we need to do is actually tackle the reasons why a lot of young people feel embarrassed about their country, feel that they can't defend their country,” she said.
Fears that conscription could return have grown in recent years as international conflicts have raised concerns about the UK's military readiness. Some experts worry the current size of the UK's armed forces would leave the country vulnerable and unable to fight effectively in a major conflict.
Government response
A Ministry of Defence spokesperson responded: “This government has delivered the biggest sustained boost to defence spending since the Cold War – taking spending to almost £300 billion to keep the British people safe. The UK regularly exercises alongside NATO allies to test and strengthen warfighting readiness and is NATO's third-highest defence spender.
“Through the Defence Investment Plan, we're investing £11.1 billion in weapons and munitions and creating an always-on munitions pipeline, strengthening our ability to deter the threats we face.”
The UK government currently has no plans to reintroduce conscription.
