What is conscription and is the government considering it?

The debate on some form of national service being reinstated in the UK has resurfaced, though a senior minister has said the government is not considering reintroducing conscription.

The debate resurfaced after comments by the Latvian president, who said the country's neighbours should 'absolutely' look into the policy.

His comments come amid ongoing discussion around the readiness of European nations to become more involved in the war in Ukraine.

But on Sunday, Pat McFadden, Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, said Sir Keir Starmer is not looking at bringing in mandatory recruitment into the armed forces.

Speaking on Sky News, McFadden said: “We’re not considering conscription, but, of course, we’ve announced a major increase in defence expenditure a couple of weeks ago and we do have to recognise that the world has changed here.

“The phrase ‘step up’ is used a lot in recent weeks and Europe does have to step up in terms of its own defence.

“President Trump isn’t actually the first president to say that, but he said it more loudly and with more force than his predecessors. So, I think we’ve got to recognise that moment.”

What is conscription?

Conscription is when certain groups of people are legally required to join the armed forces.

Some form of conscription or national service is used by around 80 countries worldwide, with some implementing mandatory service and others offering a form where people are required to serve for a minimum time, but may not be drafted into active service.

Why is it back in the news?

As the war in Ukraine continues to dominate the headlines, Edgars Rinkevics, president of Latvia - which reinstituted its compulsory conscription policy in April 2023 - said the country's neighbours should “absolutely” look into the policy.

Latvia had abolished conscription in 2007, but following its reinstatement, it is now mandatory for men between 18 and 27, and lasts 11 months.

Rinkevics was asked by Trevor Phillips on Sky News: “Do you think other European countries need to take similar kind of decisions that you’ve taken in terms of spending, in terms perhaps of conscription?”

He replied: “Absolutely. Seeing what is happening in the world, the decision that we took – many other European countries need to follow that.

“A lot of people are a little bit nervous. People are following the news. Of course, strong reassurances [are] one thing, but another thing is other European governments [have] to make sure that we all get stronger.”

The subject of whether European nations could commit to involvement in a war with Russia has been raised, especially amid calls from Donald Trump for Europe to take on greater responsibility for its own security.

As a result, UK recently increased its defence spending to 2.5% of the GDP, though concerns remain about details like manpower and munitions.

According to government figures, as of 1 April 2024 the total size of the full-time UK armed forces (trained and untrained) was around 148,230 personnel.

Over half of those personnel were within the Army (56%), and the remainder was split equally between the Royal Navy/Royal Marines (RN/RM) and the Royal Air Force (RAF).

On April 2024, the Army fell below targets set in the 2021 Defence Command Paper, meaning all three service branches were below target: the Army by 1%, the RN/RM by 5% and the RAF by 10%. Overall, the UK armed forces were 5,440 personnel (1%) below target.

The figures also showed an overall fall in number of personnel in 2023/24, with 4,430 more personnel leaving the force than joining it.

Has conscription been used before in the UK?

In the UK, military conscription has existed for two periods in modern times.

First, from 1916 to 1920, when it was called 'military service', and later from 1939 to 1960 when it was called 'national service'.

The last conscription term ended in 1963, though some soldiers chose to continue beyond that time.

Has it been suggested recently?

In last year’s general election, then Conservative leader Rishi Sunak pledged to introduce a system of national service for school leavers which would include military or civilian service - something Labour branded a "gimmick" at the time.

A similar scheme was outlined in 2010 by David Cameron, when he proposed that a special youth programme be established for 16-year-olds to end a “pointless waste of potential”.