Sir Keir Starmer will conscript fighting age Brits from the general population if the UK and go to war, a member of the Defence Select Committee has warned. Mike Martin, an Afghanistan veteran and the MP for Tunbridge Wells, told the Express: “There’s a significant chance that it [war with ] might happen so we must be prepared.
“Obviously, if we get involved in a general war with , we’ll be conscripting the population – there’s no question about that,” the Liberal Democrat added. “Being prepared generates deterrence, which decreases the likelihood [of war]. The whole point about building the military up is it decreases the likelihood of this happening. I think that’s an important caveat. I’ve fought in wars, I’m not a warmonger. But I recognise that you’ve got to [pursue] peace through strength.”
:
Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time. Read our Privacy Policy
A British soldiers aims his weapon (Image: Getty)
Mike Martin, who fought in Afghanistan, is the MP for Tunbridge Wells (Image: x.com)
Despite noting the distinct possibility of all-out war with , Mr Martin, who served multiple tours in Helmand Province, cautioned that it is still more likely that London can avert it.
“[It is] quite unlikely that we get to that situation of sort of generalised war. I think you can see a space in between here and there, where we are increasing the size of the military quite rapidly”, he said.
The UK armed forces has around 138,000 personnel, 75,000 of which are enlisted in the British Army. In December, Defence Minister Alistair Carns said Britain’s army would be “expended” within six to 12 months of a major conflict.
The Express has approached the Ministry of Defence to comment on Mr Martin’s remarks.
Dr Azeem Ibrahim from the US Army War College, echoed Mr Martin’s prediction about conscription. “This is something we really have to take into consideration”, he said.
Don’t miss… [REVEALED]
Dr Azeem Ibrahim addresses a federal committee in the United States (Image: Getty)
Tobias Ellwood on Downing Street when he was a sitting MP (Image: Getty)
“[I’m] not saying we should do it straight away, but we should definitely have plans and infrastructure set up for mass-scale conscription for people to join the armed forces and do their duty to their country. And that infrastructure we need to start setting up now”, he added.
Former British Army officer and MP for Bournemouth East Tobias Ellwood called on the Government to reintroduce compulsory national service to boost the UK’s military capacity.
“Of course we need to bolster land, air, and sea but there needs to be greater resilience and readiness from a British perspective to deter”, the ex-Defence Select Committee chair told the Express.
The former Conservative MP argued that the UK should adopt a national service model akin to what is in place in Finland. Under the Finnish system, every male citizen aged 18-60 is liable for military service, and women can apply on a voluntary basis. However, entrants can complete armed military service, unarmed military service, or non-military service. After completing military service, Fins are placed in the Finnish Defence Forces’ reserves.
Backing a similar model in Britain, Mr Ellwood said: “There is gaps (sic) in our deterrence which need to be addressed. I’m pleased to say that they are now being addressed but it comes down to an all-society approach. That’s the strategy of importance.
“It costs money to keep them [armed forces] at high readiness. We can’t afford that”, he said, adding that Finland has “a population of five million [and] they have a standing army of about 20,000. At the flick of a switch, they can bolster their whole capabilities up to half a million, because everybody has gone through eight months of training at the age of 18.
“It could be cyber capabilities, it could be in drones or AI. It could be that they’ve participated in working in the defence industry, so if suddenly they need to make more artillery shells… they go back there and stockpiles can suddenly rise.
“So there’s a huge society capability there and everybody then leans into it”, he added.