Lagging in polls, UK Conservatives pitch national service at 18

Britain’s Conservative Party plans to implement mandatory national service for 18-year-olds if they win the national election on July 4. The program will give young adults the option to volunteer one weekend per month for a year or spend a year in the armed forces. The proposal would be funded through measures to crack down on tax avoidance and evasion, as well as diverting money from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Labour Party politicians criticized the plan, emphasizing the importance of voting for change instead. The Conservative Party clarified that there would be no criminal sanctions for not participating in the mandatory service.