Ministry of Defence confirms no plans to introduce conscription despite growing WW3 concerns

With all the conflict currently going on in the world, it's unsurprising fears of a potential Third World War have been on a lot of people's minds.

A recent poll by Politico found that across the UK, France, Germany, Canada and the US, more people believe World War III is more likely to break out in the next five years than not.

And it's not hard to see why people feel this way, with the ongoing war between Russia and Ukraine, the Israel-Palestine conflict and the escalating tensions between Israel, the US, Iran and much of the Middle East, as well as civil wars across Sudan and Myanmar, to name a few.

It comes as a Russian official said World War III will 'doubtedly begin' if Trump 'continues his insane course of criminal regime change.'

Many Brits have been left speculating what life might look like if the UK becomes embroiled in active warfare, and whether the government would revert to methods used in the Second World War, like conscription, which saw members of the public forced to sign up and fight, often on the front line.

The Ministry of Defence has confirmed there are no plans to reintroduce conscription (Cunaplus_M.Faba/Getty stock photo)

What is conscription?

Conscription is when the government makes it a legal requirement to fight if you are able to, when the military doesn't have enough people to fight in a war.

The concept was first introduced during the First World War when parliament passed the Military Service Act in January 2016, which specified that single men aged 18 to 40 would be liable to be called up for military service, with the exception being if they were widowed with children or were ministers of a religion.

Conscription was once again drawn into British law in the build up to World War II when the National Service (Armed Forces) Act 1939 was passed on 3 September 1939.

Could conscription come back to the UK?

The government is investing in growing our Armed Forces (Getty Stock Images)

Sir Richard Knighton, Chief of the Defence of Staff recently said he 'cannot see conscription returning in the short term,' but did admit the situation could change if 'the situation in the world may deteriorate very quickly.'

The government has now spoken on the matter, with a spokesperson for the Ministry of Defence telling LADbible there are 'no plans' to reintroduce conscription, with investment going into growing the size of our existing Armed Forces.

"The UK defence budget is rising to record levels as this government delivers the biggest boost to defence spending since the Cold War, totalling £270 billion this parliament alone," they said.

“This Government has no plans to introduce conscription in the UK and believe the best way of defending our country is by maintaining professional Armed Forces who choose to serve."

The spokesperson added: “We are reversing the long-term decline in the size of the Army and are providing better training, smarter use of existing capabilities and harnessing technological advancements so our armed forces operate precisely, at scale and at speed."