Conservative minister Kevin Hollinrake said there would be “no exemptions” from compulsory national service in Britain.
Last week, Prime Minister Rishi Sunak announced that 18-year-olds would be allowed to take part in national service if he remains in power.
Details are relatively vague at this early stage, but the Tories have confirmed this will happen in two ways; community volunteering and military training.
The first phase will require teens to attend a volunteer course in their local community one weekend each month, throughout the year.
“Nobody is immune,” said Kevin Hollinrake.
GB News
“Once it comes into force no-one will be exempt, it will be implemented flexibly,” Minister Kevin Hollinrake said.
“It’s subject to a royal commission that will work out the details, tell us what the right way is to do it. But the intention is that every 18-year-old will do it.
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“They will work flexibly so that people can do this alongside their other commitments, such as some work commitments where it is necessary to do so.
“I remember Elvis Presley serving as a soldier. I don’t know if you remember that, but it’s fantastic that we all play our part and contribute to society and bring pride to our country. I think the people I talk to on the doorstep feel the same way.”
“As is the case in other countries, we will provide stipends to help with the training as well as living expenses of those joining the military service,” the Prime Minister said in the TikTok video.
“Meanwhile, on the civilian side, we will ensure that organizations have funding for training and administration.”
Rishi Sunak has pledged to introduce ‘compulsory’ national service as part of his manifestoGettyForeign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan MP told GB News: “As the Prime Minister has said, if we are fortunate enough to be re-elected we will do this – there is a pilot project underway in 2025.
“But there will be a royal commission, because bringing in a new law, a National Service Act, would obviously be a complication that would require full consideration of all those issues…
“So that is the aim of the royal commission and the policy objective is that this can be fully implemented by 2029.”
Kevin Hollinrake speaks to GB News
GB News
He added: “We have to make sure that we have young people who are strong and resilient, who understand why our country is so amazing and a big reason for that is because we have this incredible freedom of expression, of liberty, of all these things.
“The rest of the world is in a really tough position at the moment and we have to make sure that’s supported and that’s what we’re doing through NATO, the incredible leadership that the UK is showing, that’s why we believe it’s important to stand up to these things.
“So I’m just surprised by people who think that protecting those values, making sure that young people are resilient individually and as part of a community, is something that they think is not a good thing. I really find that very disappointing on their part.”
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