National service would only be a hindrance to our already depleted Armed Forces

The proposals for establishing some form of conscription – articulated in a rush by the Conservative Party, in what seems electoral opportunism – can look superficially attractive. Having youngsters engaged in key areas such as defence of the nation is so much better than them being immersed in identity politics.

The devil, though, is in the detail – and rather than enhancing our defence capability, it would further reduce it.

When national service was last introduced, in 1949, there was a vast network of training areas that had been in use during the Second World War. Back then, the Royal Navy had the strength of about 153,000 recruits, the Army 370,000 and the RAF 193,000. All were used to running a training pipeline for conscripts.