Keir Starmer issued urgent 10-word conscription warning – as major European power rearms

Sir Keir Starmer has been issued a warning over Britain’s ability to mobilise for war as a major European power mulls compulsory service. A bombshell new report urges the UK to prepare for mass mobilisation now and to boost efforts to expand the Armed Forces. The UK needs to double its land force personnel number amid threats looming from Vladimir Putin’s Russia, according to RUSI.

Its report argues that mobilisation in Britain will need to go beyond expanding volunteer reserve numbers or recalling veterans who served in the strategic reserve. The thinktank also suggests conscription would not be the same as the basic military roles carried out in short engagements in the 1950s and 60s.

Paul O’Neill, senior associate fellow at the leading think tank, said the best time to have started ramping up UK mobilisation plans was 10 years ago, adding that the “next best time” is now.

He told The Sun in 10 words: “Is it going to be too late? I don’t know.”

The expert told the same publication the UK needs to grow its capacity to take in more reserves.

As of April last year, there were 181,890 people in Britain’s Armed Forces. Out of that number, 82,000 were in the army, according to the House of Commons Library.

Of the total number, 17.5% were volunteer reserves while 77.7% were full time service personnel.

Mr O’Neill said the UK has a tradition of mobilising too late, arguing that governments do not want to commit to the economic costs.

He said legally mandating the compulsory enlistment of citizens into military service should also be considered. Such a move has been debated in Germany while in France a small-scale conscription policy is being pursued.

Germany is pursuing massive rearmament plans, with an aim to spend about £132.7billion (153 billion euros) on defence by 2029.

RUSI’s report said conscription in Britain is “currently unrealistic” as society isn’t ready for it and the Armed Forces unable to absorb or train a significant intake.

Publication of the report comes as the Government is under pressure to publish how it plans to pay for Britain’s future defence spending. The defence investment plan was due to be published in autumn 2025.

A Ministry of Defence spokesperson said it is reversing the four-year decline in armed forces recruitment as more personnel are now joining than leaving for the first time since 2020. They said female applicants to the Army are at the highest level in five years and the Government is taking decisive action on recruitment and retention.

This includes giving personnel their “largest pay rise in decades”, turbocharging improvements to defence housing, scrapping 100 outdated recruitment policies, speeding up the process for those wishing to re-join the military and appointing the first-ever armed forces Commissioner to improve service life.

The spokesperson added: “The delivery of the first-of-its-kind Strategic Defence Review is backed by the biggest sustained increase in defence spending since the Cold War – with £270billion across the Parliament – ensuring no return to the hollowed out armed forces of the past.”