National Service might return for sure Brits beneath dramatic new authorities plans
The UK Government is considering national service for certain groups to tackle rising unemployment, reduce phone addiction and integrate people into work
Young people could be forced to do national service under dramatic new plans(Image: Getty Images)
Young people could be forced to do national service under dramatic new plans being considered by the UK Government. Labour grandee and advisor Alan Milburn revealed the move could be looked into after launching a government-commissioned report on youth unemployment.
The report comes as the latest data shows the number of young people who are not working or learning has topped one million for the first time in more than a decade.
He said military or civic national service could assist young people to develop skills and help the “bedroom generation”, who are “doom-scrolling at night”, to get off their phones.
Speaking during a Q&A session, Milburn, who served as health secretary under Sir Tony Blair, said: “They get stuck in a particular pattern and a particular rhythm. Frankly, the idea that they’re going to step straight out of their bedroom straight into a full-time job is pretty fatuous.
“We’ve got to make sure that the opportunities that are available to them are flexible enough. You’ve got to meet them half way. So we’ve got to think about what does that look like?
“It could be a job, could be an apprenticeship, could be a supported internship, could be some volunteering…or it could be different types of service. That is something that we’ll be exploring in the weeks and months ahead.”
The former Social Mobility Commission chairman warned there are “no easy solutions” and that the issue is “more than an economic crisis, it is a moral one.”
He said a “whole system failure” has led to nearly one in seven of the UK’s 16 to 24-year-olds not being in employment, education or training.
The crisis is costing the UK an estimated £125 billion a year, taking in factors such as the loss of taxes, alongside higher health and welfare spending.
Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer described Milburn’s report as “sobering” and said he “will not allow a lost generation.”
Recommendations are expected to be put forward in his final report, which is due to be published in the autumn.
For the latest breaking news and stories from across the globe from the Daily Star, sign up for our newsletters.
