Mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if Tories win, Sunak vows

Eighteen-year-olds will be required to carry out a form of national service if the Tories win the July 4 General Election, Rishi Sunak has announced.

Young people would be given a choice between a full-time placement in the armed forces for 12 months or spending one weekend a month for a year “volunteering” in their community, the Tories said.

The Prime Minister said the policy would help unite society in an “increasingly uncertain world” and give young people a “shared sense of purpose”.

In an apparent pitch to older voters, he said volunteering could include helping local fire, police and NHS services as well as charities tackling loneliness