Britain says it has no plans for conscription, after top general says the UK may need a citizen army

By JILL LAWLESS
Associated Press

LONDON (AP) — The U.K. government says it has no plans to introduce conscription, after the head of the British Army said a “citizen army” would be needed to fight a future war with a country like Russia. Chief of the General Staff Gen. Patrick Saunders said preparing for a potential land war would have to be a “whole-of-nation” undertaking. He said “Ukraine brutally illustrates that regular armies start wars; citizen armies win them.” Prime Minister Rishi Sunak’s spokesman, Max Blain, said the government “has no intention” of introducing conscription. The British Army has about 74,000 full-time troops, down from 102,000 in 2006. The government has promised to increase military spending but not the size of the army.