What could happen if you refused conscription as only five specific job types safe from being called on
Off the back of increasing global tensions and news the UK government is 'rapidly developing' ways to prepare for an outbreak of conflict, many people's worries have turned to conscription, whether it would be introduced in the UK and what would happen if you refused.
It's not what you'd call a calm start to 2026, with Donald Trump ordering the US military to carry out strikes on Venezuela and to abduct the president of the country, Nicolás Maduro. Trump said that the US would 'run' the South American country in the meantime.
Add this to the ongoing conflicts between Russia and Ukraine, as well as that between Israel and Palestine, and it's no wonder that fears of a full-blown global conflict continue to rage on.
It has meant that armed forces experts in the UK have called for conscription measures to be put in place, should the nation need to get involved in any wars that may escalate.
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Meanwhile, a new scheme which starts later this year will offer people the chance to take a 'gap year' in the armed forces, but don't worry, it's quite far from any sort of actual conscription.
The EU has also recently decided to freeze £184bn worth of Russia’s assets amidst the ongoing political tensions, while Ukrainian leader Volodymyr Zelenskyy and Vladimir Putin remain at a stalemate in peace negotiations.
Britain's decreasing number of soldiers has alerted many in national security, with experts suggesting that the nation wouldn't be ready if a direct attack were to be launched.
What is conscription?
Put simply, conscription is introduced when a military needs people to fight in a war, but there aren't enough volunteers for the army. Essentially, it means that legally, if you are able to fight, you have to.
First introduced in the lead-up to World War II, single men in the UK aged 20 to 22 were required to participate in six months of military training, with 240,000 being called up.
When war was declared by Adolf Hitler, the range was changed, becoming 18 to 41, though exemptions were made for men who were unfit medically.
As for right now, Sir Richard Knighton, Chief of the Defence Staff, has said he 'cannot see conscription returning in the short term' and there were 'no plans' to bring it in, but warned that 'the situation in the world may deteriorate very significantly'.
Which jobs could be exempt from conscription?
Throughout history, jobs which have been able to avoid conscription are usually linked to food and healthcare.
So, those who worked as bakers, farmers, doctors, nurses and engineers were exempt from these measures, as these jobs were vital to supporting war efforts behind the scenes.
What would happen if you refused conscription?
A YouGov poll found that several young people wouldn't want to fight, even if Britain were to be invaded.
In fact, 38 percent of those under 40 said they would refuse to serve if WW3 broke out, with 30 percent even claiming they wouldn't serve in the face of an 'imminent invasion'.
Back during WW2, those who objected to conscription were taken to court, with many given jobs to contribute to the war in other ways.
Essential jobs such as farming, hospital work, civil defence or forestry were given to individuals, while others were given non-combat military roles.
If they chose to refuse all war-related work, they would be thrown in prison, though most contributed to vital services.
Not to fear, though, as Keir Starmer said in March that 'nobody is talking about conscription' with the proposal not even a thought for his government.
Starmer has also pledged to spend five percent of GDP on national security in the next 10 years, 'in a way not seen since 1945'.
Joshua Nair