National service plan is a host of contradictions

Editorial: It is not at all clear that there would be support in the UK for all 18-year-olds to serve, in whatever capacity, unless national security were threatened

Rishi Sunak proposed the introduction of national service for 18-year-olds (PA Wire)

The prime minister’s eye-catching pledge to introduce a version of national service for 18-year-olds as his opening gambit in the election campaign plays to a sentiment deeply rooted in sections of the Conservative Party, but also has wider appeal. That the world is a dangerous place, that the nation is not as well protected – including by its armed forces – as it once was, and that young people could do with toughening up are all common themes in the national conversation.

The enthusiasm for volunteering in the early stages of the pandemic, and the scale of volunteer help provided to Ukrainian refugees, also showed the extent of potential that remained untapped in this country, as many young people also rose to the challenge of a cause greater than themselves. Launching an organised effort to harness more of that potential for the national good is a laudable aspiration.

A closer look at what Rishi Sunak has outlined, however, shows a host of contradictions that make such a scheme unlikely to fly, and perhaps counterproductive if it did. Granted, he said that the details would be hammered out by a commission set up for the purpose, though it is hard to see much of this working – still less appealing to those 18-year-olds it is designed for.