I welcome the Conservative policy to introduce National Service for all 18-year olds, who will be able to choose between a placement in our armed forces or volunteering in our communities to help some of the most vulnerable. Expanding opportunities for young people in Castle Point is one of my main priorities and this huge investment will make sure they have the skills and experiences they need to lead a fulfilling life. 

Rebecca Harris

The Prime Minister has set out that a future Conservative government will introduce mandatory National Service for every 18-year-old, to be spent in a competitive, full-time military commission or spending one weekend a month volunteering in civil resilience.

Why introduce National Service?

We have so much to be proud of as a country, but we also need to be open and honest about the long-term challenges that our country and our society faces. One of the challenges we want to tackle is to make sure our young people have the opportunities they deserve.

The pandemic showed the value of civic service to individuals and our country as a whole with millions of people contributing as NHS responders, vaccinators and volunteers. Only by nurturing our shared culture and fostering a sense of duty can we preserve our nation and our values for decades to come. This is an investment in both the character of young people and our security.

Nearly 750,000 18–24-year-olds are out of work and volunteering can ensure young people don’t waste their best years out of work or in lives of crime. Research shows that volunteering and community service increases social responsibility and cuts criminality among young people who are disproportionately represented in the criminal justice system, especially for gang and knife crime, who are successfully diverted away from lives of unemployment and crime.

The National Service Plan:

Our clear plan will introduce National Service for every 18-year-old. Young people will be able to CHOOSE between:

• Applying for a competitive, full-time military commission over 12 months in the armed forces or UK cyber defence - where young people will learn and take part in logistics, cyber security, procurement or civil response operations. This placement will be selective, so that our world-leading armed forces recruit and train the brightest and best.

• Volunteering for one weekend per month (25 days per year) in a civic role, where they can choose between roles in our communities such as supporting local infrastructure; collecting and delivering food; essential items; prescriptions; helping to organise and promote fire safety messaging; distributing fire safety advice; ambulance volunteer; wheelchair volunteer; water-safety volunteers; lifeguard; shore crew; non-mountain based volunteering opportunities; foot patrols.

How will this be done?

I want to be clear that currently NO decision has been taken on how this programme will operate or be enforced. The Conservative Government would set up a Royal Commission to design the National Service programme, working with the military and civic society.

The Commission will then be asked to bring forward a proposal on how to make sure this scheme can be effective and that the first pilot is open for applications in September 2025. We will then introduce a new National Service Act to ensure that every 18-year-old will be required to do either military or civic national service by the end of the next Parliament.

Reinventing national service will give young people valuable life skills, make our country more secure and build a stronger national culture. Young people will receive best-in-class training in critical skill sets for the economy, from cyber to civil engineering to leadership. It will make our country more secure by training new generations to support their community and our security. This will build a stronger national culture, where everyone shares a commitment to improving our country and everyone shares in a sense of belonging.

Do other countries have National Service?

Across Europe, many countries do have forms of National Service and many are now taking steps to shore up their civic resilience and defence. Sweden, Norway, and Denmark already have recently re-introduced modern forms of National Service. President Macron in France has announced Service National Universal – a one-month residential placement for all 16-year-olds followed by 3 months part-time voluntary service – which will be mandatory when rolled out fully.