Brits refusing conscription ‘might face extreme punishment’ as WW3 fears rise

Fears the UK will need to introduce conscription have skyrocketed in recent weeks following threats from Russia, and one expert has suggested the punishments — including heavy fines — that could be imposed on those who refuse to sign up

Brits contemplating dodging conscription could face “severe” consequences, an expert warns. Concerns that the UK might need to bring in compulsory military service have soared in recent weeks amid Russian threats.

One of Putin’s top allies cautioned he couldn’t “100% exclude” the possibility of “semi-military” action against British installations, after the Armed Forces handed Volodmyr Zelensky’s forces the blueprints to manufacture their own Storm Shadow missiles.

A UK security source has acknowledged Russia is “preparing something”, with Prime Minister Andy Burnham even suggesting a Russian assault is “inevitable”. It comes after Putin’s country fired a direct threat to London.

Should war erupt, the UK might be forced to implement conscription to bolster its reserves, especially given the Army has dwindled to its smallest size since the early 19th Century, with roughly 74,000 full-time personnel.

Conscription means when a government imposes mandatory military service on individuals. Across the last 126 years, there have been just two periods of conscription in the UK – the first spanning 1916 to 1920 and the second running from 1939 to 1960.

Speaking to the Express, author and historian David Swift outlined the penalties that could hit Brits who fail to heed conscription’s call. Mr Swift proposed that fines, rather than jail time, might be levied on those who refuse to register.

He stated: “I imagine it would be fines rather than imprisonment or anything like that, due to: 1. Lack of prison capacity. 2. Difficulty enforcing and lack of legitimacy and 3. That ‘conscription’, if introduced, would be very much focused around monetary reward.”

Regarding the potential scale of these fines, Mr Swift suggested that the UK could follow Greece’s lead. In Greece, failure to sign up resulted in a fine of €6,000 (£5213.19), although in 2019 the country considered scrapping the fine entirely.

The Express reached out to the Greek embassy in London for comment on this issue, but received no response.

Meanwhile, David suggested that Britain could also take a leaf out of Switzerland’s book, explaining: “In Switzerland, you have to pay an additional three percent in taxes if you refuse military service for the duration of the time you were meant to be in military training.

“This way, the fines are severe enough so that they present a genuine disincentive not to serve (if it was only a few hundred quid you would have lots of people opting out), but not as severe as imprisonment.”

David previously revealed the one group of Brits that would be targeted in the event of conscription – and the two that could be exempt.

Conscription currently seems unlikely. In 2024, former British Army chief General Sir Patrick Sanders declared the UK ought to begin preparing the foundations for “national mobilisation” and a “citizen army” in reaction to the danger from Russia.

Number 10 dismissed the proposal. A spokesman for then-Prime Minister Rishi Sunak stated the Government had “no intention” of introducing conscription, a position echoed by Cabinet Office minister Pat McFadden in March 2025.

Rather, ministers have repeatedly maintained Britain is best defended by a highly skilled, professional armed forces comprised of volunteers, instead of mandatory service.