Britain should consider Swedish-style military conscription system, says former MI6 chief

Britain should consider a Swedish-style military conscription system, says the former chief of MI6.

Sir Alex Younger said the UK needs to be thinking of ways in which “the broader country would participate in an emergency”.

Sir Alex appeared on The Today Podcast with Nick Robinson on Tuesday (9 April), as tensions between Russia and the West continue to escalate.

Sir Alex said: “I think we need to be looking at something like the model in Sweden, where the government theoretically has the power to compel people to give their service one way or another, but doesn’t exercise it, except in areas where it’s really needed.”