Tory minister Steve Baker has said the compulsory national service plan was “sprung” upon Conservative candidates as discontent mounts in his party over the Prime Minister's faltering election performance.

Writing on social media, the Northern Ireland minister suggested had it been a government policy, he would have had a say because of the particular sensitivities around Northern Ireland where historically recruitment to the UK armed forces has been a controversial issue among Irish nationalists.

He said: “Government policy would have been developed by ministers on the advice of officials and collectively agreed. I would have had a say on behalf of NI.

“But this proposal was developed by a political adviser or advisers and sprung on candidates, some of whom are relevant ministers.”

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But in a separate development Foreign Office minister Anne-Marie Trevelyan suggested today that failure to carry out national service could harm people’s job prospects as she backed the scheme.

She told ITV’s Good Morning Britain: “This will be encouraged and will become part of the norms.

“Importantly, of course, when you then as a young person apply for a job, there will be a question that employers will want to know how you got involved – either because were able to achieve one of the 30,000 places (in the armed forces) or because you were volunteering in one or other part of your community.”

Meanwhile, Rishi Sunak is doubling down on his plan to revive national service and will urge bosses to give priority to job applicants who have served time in the military.

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The plan has caused concern in the armed forces, amid fears it could impose strains on the military.

 

Labour’s deputy leader Angela Rayner denounced Mr Sunak’s plan to divert £1.5bn a year from “levelling up” funds for deprived regions to help pay for the “desperate” scheme. A further £1bn would come from tackling tax avoidance and evasion.

“I don’t know whether to laugh or cry,” one former Conservative party chair told the Financial Times describing Mr Sunak’s campaign so far. Another former party chair told the paper: “Words fail me.”

But the Prime Minister’s allies believe the plan has achieved something that has eluded him for months: a hearing.

Mr Sunak’s manifesto pledge to make all 18-year-olds take part in a year-long military placement or to carry out 25 days of compulsory “volunteering” in the community was his biggest policy statement to date.

The Prime Minister, if re-elected on July 4, will ask a royal commission to look at how the roughly 30,000 annual participants in the £2.5bn-a-year military scheme could get a “leg up” in their career.

Mr Sunak said one option would be to encourage employers to “consider those who complete the armed forces placement during job applications”.

Other options could include offering them “fast-track interviews” for jobs, including the civil service fast-stream programme, or giving them special consideration during applications for universities and apprenticeships.

Mr Sunak said: “We want to make sure Britain’s future generations can get the most out of national service. That’s why we’re looking into ways it can open doors they wouldn’t otherwise get in work or education.”

But the policy of military national service was rejected only last week by defence minister Andrew Murrison, who said that having unwilling national service recruits “could damage morale, recruitment and retention and would consume professional military and naval resources”.

Home secretary James Cleverly said  yesterday the military route would not be compulsory and therefore recruits would be motivated. “Whilst you will be compelled to take part in the national service, no one will be compelled to do the military bit,” he said.

National service was abolished in the UK in 1960 and senior military figures have privately warned reintroducing it would place a new burden on the armed forces.