May 28, 2024
Only the Conservatives will take the bold action needed to give young people the opportunities they deserve
The UK has so much to be proud of as a country, but we also need to be open about the long-term challenges we face – including how generations of young people don’t have the opportunities they deserve.
That is why the Conservatives will introduce a bold new model of National Service for 18-year-olds to be spent either in a competitive, full-time military placement over 12 months, or spend the equivalent of one weekend a month (25 days a year) volunteering for the community. This will give young people real world skills, while contributing to their country and community.
The Conservatives’ plan will ensure the youngest generations, and the country as a whole, meet the challenges of an uncertain world. Sir Keir Starmer and Labour don’t have a clear plan and won’t take the bold action needed to navigate to a more secure future.
By introducing a bold new model of mandatory National Service, every 18-year-old will either spend a full year in a competitive, full-time military placement or UK cyber defence, or spend the equivalent of one weekend a month (25 days a year) volunteering in a civic role. Individuals will be able to choose between roles in our communities, including in local infrastructure, the NHS, and the RNLI.
This will give young people across the country the opportunities they deserve to gain the valuable life skills they need, making our country more secure and building a stronger national culture.
This will be funded through the Conservatives’ clear plan to raise an additional £6 billion a year by the end of the next Parliament from cracking down on tax avoidance and evasion, of which £1 billion will be allocated to the National Service, in addition to the remaining £1.5 billion previously used for the UK Shared Prosperity Fund.
This is on top of the Conservatives’ bold action to increase defence spending to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030, the biggest strengthening of our national defence in a generation, maintaining our leading position in NATO and supporting our Armed Forces.
Meanwhile, Sir Keir Starmer’s Labour have no clear plan to strengthen our defence or support our young people and won’t take the bold action needed to navigate to a more secure future. Labour do not support increasing defence to 2.5 percent of GDP by 2030, putting a £75 billion investment in the UK’s defence at risk, and they would slash the number of apprenticeships across the country in half—putting our national security and the future of our young people at risk.
Only Rishi Sunak and the Conservatives have a clear plan to support the youngest generations and will take the bold action needed to deliver the opportunities they rightfully deserve in a more uncertain world.
