On the 11th of June, Rishi Sunak’s Conservative Party stunned the United Kingdom by officially declaring in their 2024 election manifesto that, if reelected on July 4th, it would pass legislation to reintroduce “mandatory national service” to Britain. Despite the Orwellian nomenclature, the plan called for conscription, plain and simple. More specifically, it called for all British people — both male and female — upon turning 18 to either serve for one year in the armed forces or complete 25 days of “community service” for an unstated number of years.The reaction to this announcement was swift and sharp, with pundits voicing equal parts horror and confusion at the announcement. Why on earth would the Conservative Party — a party already set to lose the election — adopt such a policy?

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