Portsmouth North MP Penny Mordaunt wants National Service to return to increase young people employability

The leader of the House of Commons wrote an opinion piece in the Daily Telegraph where she said the scheme be brought back to improve the prospects of young people. This follows a report published by the centre-right think tank Onward – which stated that a large swell of people aged between 16 and 21 support proposals to bring back a modern version of the scheme.

Ms Mordaunt told The News: “We should give the opportunity to encourage young people to get into volunteer work, helping them to find a purpose and give them a sense of belonging.” In her column, the Conservative politician said national service can help build resilience and acquire skills to make them more employable – all while taking pride in their community and country.

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She said she believes it’ll be a positive tool to helping people’s mental health. Onward’s proposals – named Great British National Service – would be created on an opt-out basis, with young people automatically being signed up and required to complete a certain amount of hours of work.

Ms Mordaunt said “the government making volunteering compulsory would be counterproductive”, adding that any scheme should be organised on an opt-in basis. More than two million people were conscripted into the British armed forces under national service between 1949 – when it was introduced – and 1963.

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The modern version – which Ms Mordaunt is in favour of – would be for people to choose any voluntary work they wished, such as working with the RNLI, Mountain Rescue, Search and Rescue, St John Ambulance, and the National Trust to name a few initiatives. She said young people can choose “whatever voluntary work they are passionate about”.

The politician said such a scheme should be funded by private enterprise. She added: “If we want any such schemes to be sustainable, it shouldn’t be run by the government, or funded in any great part by the government.

"I was with St Johns ambulance last week, and many of their young volunteers are inspired to go into medical care and the emergency services. I’d love such organisations to be able to reach a wider audience.”