The UK and Conscription: How do the public and Leeds students compare?

A wave of debate and speculation has dominated our newsfeeds following a recent
statement made by General Sanders, a top British army chief, regarding the need to place
the United Kingdom on a “war footing” in the context of mounting tensions with Russia over
the conflict in Ukraine.

Despite government officials reassuring the British public that this is not a precursor to the
implementation of conscription law, the speculation surrounding the statement has revealed
an interesting insight into the attitudes of British citizens to the idea of state-mandated
enlistment in the event of war. Conscription, despite appearing to some as a relic of our
parents and grandparents war-time generations, still exists in many countries around the
world where the threat of invasion or large-scale conflict remains an omnipresent reality of
life. Conscription in the UK was abolished in 1963 and since, the United Kingdom has relied
on a well-trained, volunteer army. As we move from a period of relative global stability to one
of relative turbulence, commentators, politicians and military leaders have begun to pose the
question: “are we ready for what is to come?” Whilst conscription may or may not be the
answer to this, it is something that is beginning to re-enter public discourse.

A survey carried out to reveal the attitudes, both of British citizens and Leeds students,
towards the possibility of conscription revealed a clear objection to the idea, even in the case
of war with Russia, with just 24.3% of respondents claiming that they would be inclined to
fight for the United Kingdom. That figure was even lower amongst Leeds University students
at just 21.1% overall. 

When confronted with the hypothetical scenario of an imminent invasion of the British Isles
by a foreign military force, British citizens, it seems, would feel slightly more inclined to take
up arms, with 32.4% of respondents answering “yes”. The prospect of invasion seemed to
leave the rugged students of Leeds slightly more unphased with just 21.1% of respondents
saying they would volunteer to join the armed forces. Indeed, with Hyde Park as our refuge
and our fortress, it may well be business as usual for us in Leeds in any case. 

In the event of article 5 of NATO’s collective defence treaty being triggered (I.e. an eastern
European country is invaded by Russia) and the constituent states of NATO are required to
act in defence of the country being attacked, it appears there would be even less enthusiasm
to volunteer from students and the wider population alike. Just 10% of respondents across
both demographics answered yes to this question. Undoubtedly, it remains to be seen
whether conscription would be enacted in this event but with the British regular army’s total
troop numbers dwindling at around 75,000 men, an expeditionary force sent to eastern
Europe may struggle, critics have argued, to achieve its operational requirements,
particularly over an extended conflict. 

Respondents were then faced with a difficult final question. The survey asked; ‘if a law was
passed requiring all military aged citizens to be conscripted to the military or face criminal
conviction, what would you do?’ The prospect of facing your own country’s judiciary or facing
an enemy’s weaponry appears to leave British people slightly more divided, with 42.9%
agreeing to conscription and 57.1% agreeing to face criminal conviction. The UK
government may need to address Britain’s, already overpopulated, prison system before
enacting any conscription law, it appears. 

The survey’s results reveal two things about Leeds students and the wider British population;
the first is that conscription, if enforced, will be met with widespread rejection and protest by
the British public, particularly by the younger generation, and the second is that in the event of article 5 being triggered, General Sanders would have to rely on what he’s got to achieve
his military objectives.