Sunak promises to bring back national service for 18-year-olds

Labour lambasts youth policy as desperate and unfunded' and designed to make youngsters fix government-created problems

Rishi Sunak has announced that a future Conservative government would bring back mandatory national service, as he attempted to reignite his election campaign after an error-strewn start.

Under the plan, which appeared to be his latest attempt to reduce Tory losses by winning over voters drifting to Reform UK, the prime minister late Saturday said that every 18-year-old would have to spend time in a competitive, full-time military commission or spend one weekend a month volunteering in civil resilience".